TORONTO -- Jordan Staal has 11 regular-season game-winning goals in the NHL.

Only one of those, though, came in overtime.

And only one completed a hat trick.

Which is why, anytime the Penguins venture into the Air Canada Centre, where they will face Toronto at 7:08 p.m. today, Staal can't help but recall the events of Feb. 10, 2007, which rank among the individual high points in his NHL career.

It was the night he became the youngest player (18 years, 153 days) in league history to score three goals in a game while leading the Penguins to a 6-5 victory against the Maple Leafs in a game televised on Hockey Night in Canada.

"To get an OT winner for a hat trick is pretty special," he said yesterday. "Obviously, I've had some big goals other than that, but that was a pretty special night."

Staal, who turned 21 just a month ago but already is in his fourth pro season, usually plays between Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy on the Penguins' No. 3 line and already has established himself as one of the game's better two-way centers.

Good enough, in fact, that he is in contention for a spot on Canada's Olympic team.

In the Penguins' 5-4 victory Thursday at Philadelphia, however, coach Dan Bylsma bumped Staal up to left wing alongside Evgeni Malkin for about a half-dozen shifts and was rewarded when Malkin set up a Staal goal.

Staal has gotten some work on Malkin's wing in the past and looked comfortable being back there against the Flyers.

"It was good," he said. "[Malkin] makes such great plays, and it's so easy to find openings with him on the ice. He's so dangerous and can find you anywhere."

True enough, and there likely will be more occasions when Malkin will not have to look hard to find Staal, because they will be on the ice together.

Bylsma said he united the two in order to get "another good player on the wing with [Malkin]," and all but guaranteed he will deploy them together again.

"That's something I've done in the past, where I've moved guys up and down [the forward combinations] based on how they are playing and based on making a line look a little bit different, and also based on matchups," Bylsma said. "I would anticipate doing that again at some point."

Four games into the season, Staal has not given Bylsma any reason to reduce his ice time or responsibilities. He is averaging over 18 minutes of ice time per game and has won 52.3 percent of his faceoffs.

Getting better on draws has been a priority since he broke into the league in 2006, and Staal has taken to grasping the shaft of his stick closer to the blade, thus increasing his power.

That can be tough on the back and other body parts for a guy who is 6 feet 4, but Staal has no qualms about the tradeoff.

"The hamstrings get a little tight after a while," he said. "Draws are something I've been working on my whole career. For me, the lower I get, the stronger I get.

"I'm just trying to find way to win draws. That started to work for me, so I've stuck with it."

Increasing his effectiveness on faceoffs can only enhance his prospects for getting a place on Canada's Olympic roster. His chances probably are not terribly good, given that Canada mass produces world-class centers, but anyone who blends his size, skill set and intangibles should not be overlooked.

Staal has accomplished enough that he was invited to his country's pre-Olympics camp in Calgary this summer, although he recognizes that will not translate necessarily to a spot at the Games in Vancouver in February.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm still young. If they can find a role for me on that team, who knows? But, obviously, you have to have a good start. Keep playing the way I have been.

"[Being invited] was a great honor," he said. "When I got the call, I was kind of in shock. You look around the [locker] room and see all the great talent, and putting on a Canadian jersey sends chills down your spine."

Much as he did for the Penguins, their fan base -- and, let's not forget, himself -- with that remarkable performance at the Air Canada Centre three seasons ago.

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