Talk to Mike Zigomanis' new teammates and bosses, and it won't be long before someone mentions that he scored 14 goals for Phoenix a couple of seasons ago.

His knack for killing penalties is certain to come up in the conversation, too. Same with the commitment he shows in the defensive zone.

But if Zigomanis, acquired from Phoenix for considerations Thursday, makes a major contribution, it likely will stem from his proficiency on faceoffs.

"He's shown the ability to be a capable faceoff guy," general manager Ray Shero said.

Not only is Zigomanis right-handed -- with Tyler Kennedy playing right wing on the No. 2 line, that's a trait that distinguishes him from any other Penguins center -- but he also went 196-132 on draws (59.8 percent) in 33 games with the Coyotes last season.

Should Zigomanis come close to matching that rate in 2008-09, it will represent a dramatic upgrade for a team that controlled a league-low 46.1 percent last season.

"I'm looking forward to taking on that responsibility," he said.

Zigomanis should get his initial opportunity to do that for the Penguins when they face New Jersey at 7:38 p.m. today in their first home game of the 2008-09 season.

The Penguins acquired Zigomanis from Phoenix for "considerations" Thursday; precisely what those considerations involve has not been specified, but is believed to be a payment that's significantly lower than the $20,000 fee they would have paid had they claimed him off waivers last week.

Zigomanis has been penciled in as the fourth-line center; his wingers will come from a group that includes Bill Thomas (also a Coyotes alum), Paul Bissonnette and Eric Godard. Who dresses for a particular game presumably will hinge on how much muscle coach Michel Therrien deems necessary.

The Penguins' fourth line might well be an afterthought in many games, and being grafted onto a depth chart that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Max Talbot won't do much to raise a player's profile or playing time.

Nonetheless, Zigomanis, who was with the Coyotes' minor league team in San Antonio when Shero traded for him, insists he has no reservations about stepping into the role set aside for him.

"That's great for me," he said. "That's where I've played the majority of my games and I'm used to that role, whether it's one shift or 10 shifts or 20 shifts."

Zigomanis apparently will get a chance to increase his ice time and responsibilities by playing when the Penguins are shorthanded, something the Penguins have expected in recent years from many guys who get limited work at even-strength.

"He's a guy who has shown the ability in the past to kill penalties," Shero said. "The last couple of years, guys on the fourth line have had the ability to kill penalties, whether it was Max Talbot or Adam Hall or [Jarkko] Ruutu, a little bit."

Thomas, who played with Zigomanis in Phoenix and San Antonio, describes him as being "great on the penalty-kill," and Zigomanis acknowledged that winning a healthy share of his draws and being effective when the Penguins are down a man are mandatory if he's to have a positive impact here.

"Those are the things I have to bring to the table every night," he said.

Zigomanis was deemed expendable in Phoenix because the Coyotes traded for Olli Jokinen in the offseason and also have promising young centers like Kyle Turris and Martin Hanzal, along with veteran Steven Reinprecht.

"They had a lot of guys they've brought in," he said, adding he did not ask Coyotes general manager Don Maloney to trade him.

Shero moved to bring him in after receiving favorable reports from his scouts and members of the coaching staff who studied Zigomanis on tape.

It was, clearly, a low-risk acquisition. Whether it's also a high-reward one might not be known for a while.

"We'll give him an opportunity, see how it goes," Shero said. "And go from there."

Matchup: New Jersey Devils at Penguins, 7:38 p.m. today, Mellon Arena.

TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh; WXDX-FM (105.9).

Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins. Martin Brodeur for Devils.

Penguins: Are 2-3-1 in first game at Mellon Arena in past six seasons. ... C Sidney Crosby does not have goal despite recording team-high 11 shots in first two games. ... C Evgeni Malkin had five goals, six assists in eight games against Devils in 2007-08.

Devils: Have gone 15-5 in past 20 visits to Mellon Arena. ... C Travis Zajac has seven goals, but only one assist, in 15 career games against Penguins. ... Brodeur needs 12 victories to match Patrick Roy's NHL record (551) after beating the New York Islanders, 2-1, last night.

Hidden stat: Penguins RW Eric Godard has three shots in two games after getting 14 in 74 games with Calgary last season.