Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar said he saw Alex Ovechkin's knee-on-knee hit Monday on Carolina's Tim Gleason and knew about the two-game suspension the NHL gave Washington's star winger. And Gonchar was reminded of a similar hit by Ovechkin that he absorbed in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.

Beyond that, Gonchar declined to discuss the topic after practice yesterday, perhaps because he and Ovechkin are expected to be teammates for Russia at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Gonchar missed two games after the Ovechkin hit and wore a brace on his right knee the rest of the playoffs. Ovechkin, the reigning NHL MVP, was not suspended then.

"It was very similar to the play on [Gonchar]," Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby said of Ovechkin's hit on Gleason.

Crosby has said previously that he doesn't care for Ovechkin's loud style and personality. But Crosby was not ready to label Ovechkin "dirty."

"It was a bad hit," Crosby said. "I don't think you can judge guys on one hit. Some guys see suspensions as something they learn from and it keeps them in line a little bit more. Other guys, they brush it off and whether they do it again, that will be up to them."

The Penguins played nine of their 14 games in November on the road. They played three games in four days through Monday's 5-2 win against the Rangers in New York.

Last night, the Penguins had an opportunity to relax and watch their opponent for tonight, Colorado, which played at Florida, and perhaps think about the fact that their schedule following the Rangers game lightens to three games -- all at home -- over nine days.

"Don't tell our players that we have an advantage," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "It's not an advantage until you make it an advantage. Yes, they're traveling. Yes, they're in the middle of a road trip. But if it's going to be an advantage, you have to exploit it and show it. ... They're going to be playing against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in our building for the first time, so they're going to have some jump and excitement. I'm not expecting a tired team. I'm expecting a team that's going to play a team they view as a team that won last year and has some great players."

Defenseman Alex Goligoski (groin) and winger Chris Kunitz (undisclosed injury) did not practice. ... Winger Bill Guerin found a live microphone between the benches at Southpointe. He introduced the practice-ending shootout drill and did some play-by-play before it was his turn. Winger Tyler Kennedy lost, meaning he has to grow a mustache over the course of December. ... Winger Matt Cooke will serve the second and final game of his NHL suspension against Colorado.

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