Click here to submit your question

Note: You can follows the Penguins on the Penguins Plus blog at PG Plus. Membership in that site is only $3.99 per month or $36 per year.

Q: What's going on with Eric Godard? I am a little confused on his ice time. He has been known as an enforcer and that's his job, but he hasn't been fighting and has recently played against some of the NHL's heavyweights. I am not saying, and do not think, he should fight every game, but my question is, do you think if that's the case that the fourth line would be better off with Craig Adams, Mike Rupp and Chris Bourque, or even other, more offensive-minded players?

Todd Walker, Muncy, Pa.

MOLINARI: Godard fills the most specialized niche on the Penguins' roster. He is a fighter. And while he'x expected to chip in with the occasional blocked shot or assist, or even goal, his primary purpose to provide a presence that deters opponents from taking liberties with the Penguins' elite talents, and to make them regret their actions if they do otherwise.

He has executed his duties pretty effectively during his season-plus with the Penguins, too. Godard not only is one of the league's top heavyweights, but has an edge that was missing from his predecessor, Georges Laraque. Godard's game isn't as polished as Laraque's -- not that anyone will mistake Laraque for, say, Pavel Datsyuk -- but Laraque might have been too gentlemanly on the ice to be as intimidating as he could have been. That isn't an issue with Godard.

While Godard is a weapon for coach Dan Bylsma, that doesn't mean he's one that must be called upon in every game. Fighting is a tactic that should be used judiciously, when circumstances call for it. It doesn't make sense for Godard to drop his gloves simply because the other team's enforcer happens to be on the ice at the same time.

If the Penguins are winning, or have momentum going in their favor at a particular moment, odds are that no good will come from Godard fighting, even if he wins a decisive victory. (Doubters need only recall what happened to Philadelphia after Daniel Carcillo beat up Penguins forward Max Talbot during Game 6 of the first round of the 2009 playoffs.)

Godard is not a guy who dresses for every game; he already has sat out three this season, and might have missed a few more if the Penguins hadn't been hit so hard by injuries. If the other team doesn't have a top-shelf fighter, Bylsma can get away with keeping Godard in street clothes if he wants.

Godard also doesn't go over the boards very often when he is in uniform, averaging a team-low four minutes, 36 seconds of ice time per appearance. (Rupp, at 8:49 has the second-lowest average.) As long as fighting is part of the game, however, players like Godard will be an important part of their club's personnel mix because they make it possible for more skilled teammates to perform to the best of their abilities.

Godard's fight with Jody Shelley of San Jose Saturday night, by the way, was his third of the season. He previously traded punches with Donald Brashear of the New York Rangers and Toronto's Colton Orr.

Q: What is the rule pertaining to Sidney Crosby being kicked off the ice for being bloodied (during the game in Los Angeles last Thursday)?

Greg, Gilbert, Ariz.

MOLINARI: That is addressed by Rule 8.3, which covers the issue of "Blood."

It reads: "At the discretion of the referee, a player or goalkeeper who is bleeding shall be ruled off the ice at the next stoppage of play.

Such player or goalkeeper shall not be permitted to return to play until the bleeding has been stopped and the cut or abrasion covered (if necessary). It is required that any affected equipment and/or uniform be properly decontaminated or exchanged."

For better or worse, it's prudent to take such precautions these days, given the possibility of transmitting an ailment to an uninfected party via tainted blood. That also is why trainers always wear plastic gloves when they are treating an injured player.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.