Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton was able to smile despite the fact his nose and the left underside of his chin almost seemed to be held together with too many stitches to count.

"No problem. A few stitches never hurt anybody," he said yesterday after a 4-3 victory against the Rangers at Mellon Arena in which he crashed into the boards on a hit by New York enforcer Colton Orr.

Eaton said nothing was fractured.

The officials invoked a rule instituted before the 2007-08 season that allows for a major interference penalty and a game misconduct when an injury results. Early in the third period, Eaton was in a race for the puck with a Rangers defenseman deep in his end.

"I was pinching down and I knew I was going to get to the puck before the [defenseman] who had a bead on it," Eaton said. "I saw [Orr] coming out of the corner of my eye, but there was really nothing I could do. I just tried to brace myself as much as I could. On my way down, I got the dashers."

Face-first.

Eaton didn't have an opinion on the penalty call.

"I haven't seen a replay, so I'm not going to comment on that," he said. "I guess the ref got a good look at it and he made the call."

Rangers coach John Tortorella -- whose team, like the Penguins, is scrambling for a postseason spot and playoff positioning -- was not happy about the penalties.

"They said it was an interference call, a five-minute interference call. You guys make the call," he said. "I guess the thing that's frustrating is two teams with the type of position we're in this time of year. I just hope that we allow the teams to make the difference, to determine the results. I'll leave it at that."

The play happened in the corner to the left of Penguins interim coach Dan Bylsma, too severe an angle for him to see it. He hadn't seen a replay after the game, but he had seen some evidence.

"I've just seen Mark," he said.

In the second period Orr fought Penguins enforcer Eric Godard -- with both landing several punches and Godard seeming to have the upper hand -- but fisticuffs in the first period featured a more interesting matchup.

Penguins winger Tyler Kennedy and New York agitator Sean Avery fought in front of the Penguins bench.

Kennedy got in the first big punch but downplayed the bout against the NHL's best-known bad boy, who was jettisoned from the Dallas roster earlier this season for offensive remarks he made about a couple of ex-girlfriends now dating other league players.

"He asked me [to fight], so that was fine," Kennedy said, rubbing his right shoulder, which was sore from the fight.

"It was just two guys battling. We know it's a big game. Both guys were trying to get a lift for our team. Stuff happens."

Kennedy said he didn't expect brownie points for going against that particular opponent, but Bylsma was willing to give them to him.

"[Kennedy] is an energy guy. He adds a spark to our team and he can do it in a lot of different ways -- with his speed, with the way he plays in the offensive zone," Bylsma said. "In certain times of his career he's added that spark the way he did in that situation. Kudos to [Kennedy] and kudos to the guy he did it against. That's a guy who can do it to our team. Great job by [Kennedy]."

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik got a charley horse on his right leg and a tripping penalty when he and Rangers center Chris Drury collided just after the opening faceoff of the third period. Orpik remained in the game. ... Players' fears that the Mellon Arena ice would be in poor shape after a Britney Spears concert Friday night were not fully realized. "It wasn't great, but that's to be expected after the concert," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said. "It wasn't impossible to play out there or dangerous out there." ... The Penguins scratched winger Craig Adams and defenseman Philippe Boucher. ... The Rangers scratched defenseman Michal Rozsival (knee) and winger Aaron Voros.