BOSTON --The Penguins knew before Sidney Crosby took a shift in the NHL that he was an elite talent. And 2¹/₂ weeks into his pro career, it's clear that good things tend to happen when he's on the ice.

But even though the Penguins haven't been shy about using Crosby, he ranked just fifth among their forwards in ice time going into the game against Boston at the TD Banknorth Garden.

He was averaging exactly 18¹/₂ minutes of ice time per game, which placed him behind Mark Recchi (21:21), Ryan Malone (21:06), Mario Lemieux (20:14) and Ziggy Palffy (20:03).

There is at least one obvious way to get Crosby more involved -- as a penalty-killer -- but the Penguins have no plans to make him a regular in the four-man rotation.

"He'll kill every once in a while, but, right now, we want him to watch and learn, and slowly graduate into it," said coach Eddie Olczyk, who noted that Crosby sits in on the team's penalty-killing meetings.

Crosby killed penalties with Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and said, "I'm ready for any challenge, any situation," but isn't going to lobby for such an assignment at this stage of his career.

He described killing penalties at this level as "something you have to earn," and noted that the skill level among NHL players requires an adjustment by players new to the league.

"I think I would be comfortable and I'm confident I can do it, but I'm not going to say it's something I could just jump into right away and feel totally comfortable," Crosby said.

Hip no problem for Thibault

Penguins goalie Jocelyn Thibault made his second consecutive start last night, and just his third in a regular-season game since undergoing hip surgery Nov. 15, 2003.

His previous two starts, both losses to New Jersey, were decidedly unimpressive. And while Thibault acknowledged that the team's overall defensive problems hurt his personal stats -- "When you're struggling defensively, your weaknesses are going to show a little more than if you [face only] a couple of scoring chances every game," he said -- he also said his main interest is in his own work.

"I can't focus on how the team is playing," he said. "I want to get my game together. And, honestly, I'm not that far off from being in the shape I was in before the lockout."

What's more, he was adamant that he is not feeling any lingering effects from the operation that forced him to sit out the final 60 games of the 2003-04 season.

"Not at all," Thibault said. "It took me a couple of weeks [during last season's lockout] to get comfortable again, but that's long gone. The hip feels like a brand-new one."

Out of the lineup

The Penguins scratched winger Konstantin Koltsov, defenseman Josef Melichar and defenseman Steve Poapst last night. Poapst has been in and out of the lineup all season -- he has dressed for three of the first eight games -- but last night was the first time Koltsov and Melichar were sent to the press box.

Neither move was terribly controversial -- Koltsov doesn't have a point and Melichar's minus-6 is a fair reflection of his performance to date -- but suggests players are being held accountable for their work.

Loose pucks

Center Mario Lemieux, 40, entered the game last night averaging 20 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time in the Penguins' first seven games. And, while Olczyk said he "absolutely" believes Lemieux can handle that kind of workload, Lemieux sounds as if he might not mind having his playing time cut back a bit. "Twenty's a lot, especially the way the game is played now," he said. "There's a lot more skating." ... Boston defenseman Jiri Slegr, who played 252 games with the Penguins, volunteered that he'd like to see the Penguins get the slots-parlor license that would provide financing for a new arena. "I hope it works out. That town deserves it."