The medical report, Ryan Malone said, could have been a lot worse.

An examination Tuesday, after a slap shot by teammate Hal Gill struck him in the face in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final the previous night, did not detect any significant damage.

Well, at least that's the way Malone interpreted it.

"A broken nose, a swollen lip and some chipped teeth are a pretty good scenario for a puck in the face, I thought," he said yesterday, hours before Game 6 against Detroit at Mellon Arena. "It could have been worse, so I'm definitely thankful."

He didn't bother mentioning that his nose already had been fractured earlier in the series.

Malone did not put on a visor, let alone a full cage, to protect his face in Game 6. When asked if he would consider doing so, Malone's expression suggested he might sooner have discarded his conventional gear in favor of a feather boa and high heels.

He also shrugged off the notion that his example in returning to Game 5 after being hurt might be an inspiration to his teammates, saying that "anyone else in this room would be doing the same thing."

The Penguins had two injuries during Game 5 -- Malone's, and a back problem defenseman Sergei Gonchar got after going hard into the boards late in the second period -- and another in the game-day skate yesterday, as a Georges Laraque pass was deflected into the face of assistant coach Mike Yeo.

That opened a cut on Yeo's chin that required about eight stitches to close.

Former NHL coach Jacques Demers, now a French-language commentator, publicly compared Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to the legendary Patrick Roy, who was his goalie when the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

"He coached Patrick, so if anyone knows [Roy], it would be him," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said. "It's a great compliment."

Fleury agreed, saying Roy has "always been one of my idols." He also acknowledged that the Penguins' playoff run has gotten a lot of attention in his hometown of Sorel, Quebec.

In fact, the local radio station dispatched a reporter to keep the fans there apprised of how Fleury and his teammates have been faring.

"Everybody's pretty happy," Fleury said. "It's just a small town."

Penguins coach Michel Therrien got a lot of attention -- and possibly some results -- early in the series, after he complained that the Red Wings were frequently guilty of obstruction.

Therrien's Detroit counterpart, Mike Babcock, responded Tuesday by publicly griping about two minors his team received in Game 5 for interfering with Fleury.

Yesterday, Therrien was quick to point out why he believes their observations were not the same, even though both dealt with officiating.

"Mike's complaining about calls, and we've complained about the non-calls," Therrien said. ""We've been told at the beginning of the series that they're going to protect the goalie.

"Obviously, you know, he didn't have any complaint when [Red Wings goalie Chris] Osgood got bumped and he fell down on Ryan Malone.

"You have to go with the [rule]book. This is what was supposed to be called, and there's times where we thought they were non-calls. And we believe that we were right."

Winger Pascal Dupuis reported that "four or five" Penguins received fluids intravenously during their 4-3. triple-overtime victory in Game 5.

He was one of them and beat the rush by getting his not during one of the overtime intermissions, but after the second period.

"I didn't feel great [after 40 minutes]," Dupuis said. "I felt like it was really hot out there. It worked out well, because I kept going."