Much attention has been focused on the Penguins' youngest player, Sidney Crosby, and his NHL debut tomorrow night in New Jersey, but there's a somewhat older player who just might show fans how happy he is to be back on skates.

Crosby's teammate and roommate, Hall of Fame center Mario Lemieux, led the Penguins in the preseason with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in four games. All signs indicate that Lemieux is in top form -- especially for someone with a history of back and hip problems and whose 40th birthday coincides with the opener tomorrow.

"I feel pretty decent -- my back, my hip," Lemieux said. "My back has been great for the last few months. I did a lot of work this summer with Mark [Mortland, the trainer] just making sure all the scars were taken care of.

"It's a long season. There might be some ups and downs, but so far I'm healthy."

Lemieux dismissed the type of arrangement he has had in the past of sitting out a game when the Penguins play on back-to-back nights in two cities.

"I'd love to play all the games," he said.

His health -- and his disposition -- could get a boost from the new rules instituted by the NHL that promote offense and discourage the type of grabbing and interference that in the past often left Lemieux draped with opponents.

"I think it's going to make our job, the stars, a little bit easier, they way they call the game now," Lemieux said. "It's a lot more exciting to play the game, a lot more exciting for the fans.

"I'm looking forward to this year."

Exhibition numbers

Here's a look at some of the preseason statistics for the Penguins, who were 2-5-2 in exhibition games:

Lemieux's linemates, Ryan Malone and Ziggy Palffy, shared the lead with four goals each. Palffy had 10 points, Malone seven. Three of Palffy's goals came on the power play.

The Penguins scored on 13 of 82 power-play opportunities, or 15.9 percent. They gave up 14 power-play goals in 87 penalty-killing situations, or 83.9 percent.

Of the players on the opening-day roster, nine had a plus-minus rating below zero, but none was worse than minus-2. As a team, the Penguins were minus-1.

Special treatment

Although he would have liked his team's power-play success rate to be a little higher during the preseason, coach Eddie Olczyk is more concerned about another aspect of the special teams as he looks ahead to the regular season.

"I don't think I would be off base by saying that our penalty-killing will be as important as or maybe more important than or power play," Olczyk said. "We know we're going to score goals and create offense on our power play. We know that. But our PK could end up being the difference."

In the Penguins' exhibition finale Sunday, a 7-1 win against Washington, the top penalty-killing unit was made up of forwards Matt Murley and Maxime Talbot and defensemen Robert Scuderi and Brooks Orpik. The second unit consisted of forwards Rico Fata and Ryan Malone and defensemen Josef Melichar and Sergei Gonchar.

Slap shots

For years, New Jersey has been known for and has had success with a defense-first, system-oriented game. That might not be the case anymore with the new rules. "I watched one of their games that was on TV," Lemieux said. "They play a little bit of a different style. They're not trapping as much." ... Tom Plasko, longtime massage therapist of the Penguins, has joined the Devils' training staff. The Penguins did not renew Plasko's contract.