ajt123: If Sid keeps playing as well as the past 3 games, does he even need winger(s)?

Shelly Anderson: That would be the ultimate helicopter line, eh? At the very least, Sidney Crosby has teammates to celebrate with after making plays like he's been doing the past couple weeks. The NHL today named him the top star of the week for getting six goals, nine points -- including his second career hat trick -- in three games last week.

ajt123: Impressive comeback against NJ, after the let down in Buffalo. Was wondering your thoughts [on that] and what is the highest point total we have ever accumulated in a single season?

Shelly Anderson: The Penguins have been great at comebacks this season, so doing it a night later (against New Jersey) rather than in the third period (against Buffalo) isn't all that surprising, not with the firepower and work ethic of this team, from captain Sidney Crosby on down. The team record for points is 119, set by a 1992-93 team that many believe was the best Penguins squad assembled, even if they couldn't win a third consecutive Stanley Cup. And remember, there were ties back then, so there were no points for losing in overtime or a shootout.

MAdesso: Hey Shelly, what's the latest on Fleury's injury?

Shelly Anderson: No. 1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury skated on his own again this morning, before the team practiced. He's listed as week-to-week with a closely guarded secret injury that we believe involves a leg or specifically a groin. We should find out tomorrow whether he will make the three-game road trip with the team. In the meantime, Dany Sabourin and John Curry have filled in nicely.

praveen: Looks like the Boucher trade worked out well for the Pens. He looks very comfortable out there.

Shelly Anderson: Philippe Boucher stepped right in as a top-six defenseman and point man on the power play, but he is out on a day-to-day basis with an undisclosed injury. He did not practice or skate on his own today.

beerman0303: How much stock do NHL coaches/GMs put into the +/- stat? To me seems like a pretty good gauge of a player's defensive awareness, relative to a teammates, but not necessarily useful in comparing players from different teams. Your thoughts?

Shelly Anderson: I've never asked a coach or general manager specifically about the plus-minus statistic. Come to think of it, I've never heard a coach or GM cite that stat when talking about a player, either. Players are aware of their plus-minus numbers for individual games and cumulatively. It can be, as you say, a tool to compare a player with his teammates, or to track a player over a number of games. But it's probably not on the radar compared with old-fashioned scouting.

dave: Do you think the Pens will make a trade for a winger to play with Sid like the Wild's Gavoric?

Shelly Anderson: Marian Gaborek's name continues to crop up, but he has the tag of being injury-prone, and he's done nothing to counter that this season, as he has played in just two games. So while it's always good for general manager Ray Shero to be open to talks that could upgrade Sidney Crosby's wingers, it's doubtful it will be Gaborek.

praveen: Eaton is currently their weakest player. Hopefully, Shero can find some team desperate for defense to unload Eaton for a bag of pucks in return.

Shelly Anderson: Although I think the role of weakest player is a fluctuating thing, Mark Eaton certainly has not been the shutdown defenseman he was before he had season-gutting injuries the past two years. And he hasn't been getting a lot of opportunity to work through it because he's been a healthy scratch a lot. With Philippe Boucher out and Ryan Whitney not due back for at least several games, the Penguins are down to six healthy defensemen. And a bag of pucks isn't much of an impediment to slow, say, Markus Naslund or Eric Staal.

dave: Do you think there's anyone out there that could come here to play with Sid?

Shelly Anderson: Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin certainly have that kind of magic. Of course, Hossa chose Detroit, and Malkin will continue to spend most of his time centering his own line. Miroslav Satan has, at times, fit well on Sidney Crosby's line. On paper, Petr Sykora looked like a good match, but it turned out he was better suited to play with Malkin. If Mario Lemieux's career is any indication, Crosby could go through many wingers. It's not easy being on that line.

dave: When Whitney and Gonchar come back, who do you think will be gone?

Shelly Anderson: It's difficult to speculate because we don't know who might be healthy then. Mark Eaton has struggled, but the Penguins might choose to keep him as a seventh defenseman and trade or demote others.

ajt123: Therrien seems to be becoming a bit more mellow... Your thoughts?

Shelly Anderson: Coach Michel Therrien does seem a tad more mellow, but he still is critical of his team when he feels the need, and he doesn't hesitate to sit someone or play them out of position to get a point across. But with the wins piling up, there aren't all that many rough spots. Even in being critical of the struggling power play recently, Therrien went out of his way to praise the other aspects of his club's performance.

Shelly Anderson: Thanks, everyone. That's it for this week.