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Q: The occurrence of injuries is a totally unpredictable thing. But, given the size difference between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, do you think Malkin will be the more physically durable player over his career? Richard Hocevar, Ashland, Ken. MOLINARI: All things considered, the inclination is to say that Malkin's size advantage (he's 6 foot 3, 195 pounds) will work to his advantage in this regard, but Crosby (5 foot 11, 200 pounds) is such a superbly conditioned athlete, so fit and powerful, that it's hard to believe he will ever reach a point where he becomes injury-prone, let alone fragile. He plays a high-impact style, giving hits as well as absorbing them, and odds are that that will lead to a few physical problems along the way, but Crosby works hard year-round to get his body ready for the rigors of the season. It is worth remembering that the most significant injury of his career to date -- the high ankle sprain that has forced him to sit out 28 of the Penguins' first 77 games -- stemmed not from physical contact with an opponent, but from a harmless-looking incident in which he slid into the boards.

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Q: As the playoffs approach, the Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies of this team will be a problem. Does the fault lie mainly with the coaching staff's ability to motivate and prevent such woefully slow starts to games, or can we place the blame squarely on the players for their sluggish ways versus often inferior opponents? These habitual losses against teams such as the New York Islanders, especially after huge victories over elite teams such as the Devils, do not inspire confidence. Jason Bjornsson, Bayside, N.Y. MOLINARI: Coach Michel Therrien does a lot of things that invite criticism and second-guessing -- his frequent shuffling of line combinations, treating Brooks Orpik as little more than a spare part for much of the season and replacing Petr Sykora on the No. 1 power play with Crosby or Marian Hossa, for starters -- but it's difficult to hold him responsible for the Penguins' performance in games like their 4-1 loss on Long Island Monday. The coaches have an obligation to prepare the team for how they want it to play, and to make certain that their players know what to expect from the opposition. However, there is no reason -- no reason whatsoever -- that the staff should have to motivate players to perform, especially at this time of year. Not only because they are well-compensated professionals, but because there's simply no excuse for them to fail to recognize the importance of games like the one at Nassau Coliseum and react accordingly. If having the opportunity to take a chokehold on first place in the Atlantic Division -- and enhance the possibility of getting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference -- by defeating a team that will sit out the playoffs and was missing no fewer than 12 players because of injury and illness wasn't enough incentive for the Penguins to play like they had an actual interest in the outcome, it's hard to believe that anything Therrien could have said or done would have gotten them in the proper frame of mind to compete. No, the players are responsible for their wretched showing on the Island, just as they deserve the credit for the way they bounced back the next night in their 2-0 victory at New Jersey.

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Q: It was great to see Malkin hit the 100-point plateau in just his second year. Which other Penguins have done that? Moe Sharma, Bowmanville, Ontario MOLINARI: Happily for the Penguins, that isn't a particularly exclusive club with this franchise. Malkin is the 12th player to get 100 points in one season as a Penguin, joining Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, Mark Recchi, Paul Coffey, Rob Brown, Pierre Larouche and Jean Pronovost.