Before everyone starts to think the leading scorer in the NHL is turning into a thug, know that Penguins center Evgeni Malkin didn't mean to clobber New York Rangers winger Nikolai Zherdev behind the Rangers' net in the second period yesterday at Mellon Arena.

It was both a case of mistaken identity and a bigger hit than Malkin intended to make.

"No, I'm not looking for Zherdev," Malkin said after the Penguins' 3-0 victory. "I think it's [center Scott] Gomez; Zherdev is my friend. It was a bad hit. I did not see who [it was] and just [hit him] a little bit with my arm. I think it's Gomez."

In the second period, Zherdev knocked Malkin down, and Malkin retaliated, drawing a cross-checking penalty. But even then, Malkin said, he wasn't trying to express any anger.

"I hit back," he said. "I say, 'I'm sorry.'"

So the apparent misunderstanding between Malkin, who is Russian, and Zherdev, who is Ukrainian, shouldn't be confused with the ongoing feud between Malkin and Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who is Russian.

Ovechkin has taken several runs at Malkin in recent games, although it was Malkin who was dishing out hits Wednesday in Washington's 6-3 win at Mellon Arena.

Malkin had no points yesterday but tops the league with 69. Ovechkin is third with 57.

Something else was simmering between Rangers enforcer Colton Orr and the Penguins.

A scrum in front of the New York bench in the second period resulted in Orr and Penguins center and second-leading scorer Sidney Crosby each receiving roughing penalties -- a trade-off the Rangers would like anytime.

"He just ran me like he does every game," said Crosby, who returned after missing a game with a knee injury. "That's basically it."

That didn't make the Penguins happy.

"That's the kind of thing that's frowned upon in this locker room," said Penguins winger and enforcer Eric Godard.

Godard and Orr nearly squared off twice before that.

"I asked him [to fight] earlier. He didn't want to go," Godard said. "Then when they're down, he wants to go to try and get rid of me."

Penguins forward Mike Zigomanis, who has been out since Dec. 3 because of a right shoulder injury, had surgery Wednesday to repair his rotator cuff.

"I gave it every chance I could and probably waited as long as I could doing rehab, but I didn't have any strength to shoot or take a pass or give a pass, so I wasn't going to be much help out there," said Zigomanis, who is known as a top faceoff man and had two goals and six points in 22 games before getting hurt.

Although the prognosis is for him to be out of action four to six months, he hopes to beat that.

"As soon as this thing starts feeling good and I get some movement, I'm going to try to make it back by the end of the season, get some games in," he said. "That's my goal. I know it's [supposed to be] four months by the end of the season, that's what I'm shooting for."

Penguins coach Michel Therrien said he didn't know when newly acquired backup goaltender Mathieu Garon might play. ... The Penguins scratched defensemen Alex Goligoski (illness) and Brooks Orpik (undisclosed injury) and winger Janne Pesonen. With Crosby and defensemen Rob Scuderi and Kris Letang back from injuries, Pesonen was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the game. ... Crosby on his second-period penalty shot after he was tripped on a breakaway during a Penguins power play: "I just tried to go high glove. [Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist] made a good save. But you'd like to put those in for sure." ... The Penguins' home game Feb. 8 against Detroit will be another NBC game, with a 12:38 p.m. start. ... After the win, most of the Penguins headed to Heinz Field to watch the Steelers play the Ravens in the AFC championship game.