Mark Eaton gets it.

And really, why wouldn't he?

It's pretty easy to see why people find it noteworthy, and maybe even amusing, that after sitting out 107 games because of injuries during the past three seasons, he is the only Penguins defenseman to dress for all 24 of their games this season.

Eaton, 32, just isn't interested in being party to any Lou Gehrig comparisons just yet, and for a pretty good reason:

"The second someone tried to make [an 'Iron Horse'] joke was the second I got some back spasms," he said. "So we put all joking aside."

Eaton smiled, which is something the Penguins have done a lot lately. Despite having their lineup absolutely savaged by injuries, they have won four of their past five games. They enter their meeting with Montreal at 7:38 tonight at Mellon Arena with a 16-8 record -- good for a tie with Washington for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins' pace projects to 109 points for an 82-game season. That would be the second-highest in franchise history, surpassed only by the 119 earned in 1992-93, when the Penguins won their lone Presidents' Trophy.

Those are, by any standard, impressive numbers, but even more so, considering that the Penguins already have lost 89 man-games to injury. Most of those have involved players who are significant contributors.

The Penguins' defense has been hit particularly hard, with Sergei Gonchar (12 games), Brooks Orpik (four), Kris Letang (seven), Jay McKee (three) and Alex Goligoski (four) all having spent quality time with the medical staff in recent weeks.

While call-ups such as Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland have burnished their NHL credentials with solid work of late, Eaton has been the one constant on the Penguins' blue line all season.

Aside from Thursday in Ottawa, when back spasms raised concern that Eaton might have to sit out what became a 6-2 loss to the Senators, his presence has been a given.

But since his defensive colleagues began to fall about a month ago, Eaton's playing time has grown and his role has expanded. Witness the Penguins' 3-2 overtime victory Monday at Florida, when Eaton played 21 minutes 15 seconds and, in addition to his normal duties, continued to play left point on the No. 1 power-play unit.

"When we've had guys out, his minutes increased and his responsibilities increased," said assistant coach Mike Yeo, who oversees the defense. "And he's handled it really well."

After being cast almost exclusively in defensive roles since joining the Penguins as a free agent in 2006, Eaton has returned a bit to his offensive roots, to the style he used at Notre Dame and in the embryonic stages of his pro career.

"You like to think that you don't lose those skills," the Wilmington, Del., native said. "The [power-play] stuff has been tucked away for a while, but my game doesn't change much, whether I'm killing a penalty or playing the power play. I just try to make a smart play, keep it simple and do what's asked of me."

What the Penguins really would like to ask of Eaton is that he find a way to stay healthy, but that isn't always in a player's control.

Three years ago, for example, he incurred a serious wrist injury when Jonathan Cheechoo, then of San Jose, knocked him into the boards from behind. The next season, Boston's Marc Sturm slew-footed Eaton, necessitating reconstructive surgery on Eaton's right knee.

Both injuries cost him considerable playing time and contributed to the popular perception -- inaccurate though it might be -- that he is somewhat fragile.

"They were not typical wear-and-tear injuries," Yeo said. "It's not like he's an older guy whose body is starting to break down. He had a couple of unfortunate incidents that led to injuries where no matter who was in that situation they would have happened to."

The kind of quirky thing that seemed to happen mostly to Eaton -- until this season, when injuries have struck almost every Penguins defenseman except him.

NOTES -- The Penguins had yesterday off. ... The Penguins plan to have a third jersey again next season, although it won't necessarily be the popular powder-blue one they introduced at the outdoor game in Buffalo Jan. 1, 2008. Retaining that jersey is just one of several options being considered by team executives, whose decision is expected in a month or so.

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.