Whether it was Chris Kunitz before he got hurt or Max Talbot since he has been back from injury, the left winger on the Penguins' top line with center Sidney Crosby this season has been someone with an edge.

Yesterday, it was someone with a lot of edges.

At 6 feet 5, 230 pounds, Mike Rupp is the biggest player on the team.

With nine goals, he has surpassed his career high for a season in just 30 games and sits ahead of every other player on the team except Crosby.

He even ranked third in the NHL, entering last night's play, with a shooting percent of 24.3.

"Whether it's Max or [Rupp] or [Kunitz], those guys all have that physical element to their game," Crosby said. "They create space, getting in there with a lot of loose pucks. They all have the skill to make those plays down low. All those guys have a lot of tools and can play in different situations."

That wasn't the book on Rupp when he signed with the Penguins last summer, but he has shown dimensions to his game beyond his "rugged winger" label, moving off the fourth line at times to get shifts with Crosby or the other two top centers, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal.

At practice at Southpointe yesterday, Rupp spent the whole session with Crosby and right winger Bill Guerin, with Talbot taking Rupp's normal position on the fourth line with Craig Adams and Eric Godard.

Coach Dan Bylsma was coy about whether he will hold with those configurations for tonight's game at Montreal -- "you should never read too much into that," he said -- but was clear about Rupp deserving a look as a top-line winger.

"Mike has shown he can play on that line," Bylsma said. "It's not the first time this year that he has been slotted up onto [one of the top three lines]. I think the more he's comfortable, and the more we're comfortable with him and see what he can do physically and in the offensive zone and shooting the puck, the more opportunity he's gotten in that spot."

Rupp, 29, has spent time from early in the season explaining what it's like to uncharacteristically pile up goals or to always be ready for a sharp pass when he gets a shift or two with Crosby or Malkin. Rupp played a good bit with Crosby in the third period of Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Carolina as the Penguins pressed to get a tying goal. Rupp has not played regularly on one of the top lines.

"Whether it's just for practice or it's going to be like that, we'll see, but it's always fun to play with a guy who's that talented," Rupp said, referring to Crosby. "At the same time, I'm going to keep my game pretty simple.

"A lot of lines are created with some versatility across the line. As a bigger guy, my job is to get the forecheck going and get the puck. I think that's something I can bring."

With his reach, his willingness to out-muscle opponents for the puck and a skating ability that exceeds a lot of people's expectations for someone his size, Rupp figures that if he and his linemates -- whoever they are -- can control the puck in the Penguins' offensive zone, he is doing his job.

If that kind of puck possession leads to goals, from him or otherwise, all the better.

"It's a bonus for me, I feel like," Rupp said. "I like the way I've been playing. I like the way I've been used. I like the way our team's playing.

"Those things just kind of happen in the process. I'm not setting out every night thinking, 'I've got to score.' We've got those guys in place who, over time, are going to win us hockey games each night. I'm happy to be able to contribute."

Guerin likes the fear factor Rupp brings to a top line.

"He finishes checks and he's a great skater for such a big guy. He can really move," Guerin said. "Players know that he's coming, and they're going to move the puck faster. They're going to make mistakes because of it. He's definitely an effective player, somebody that on a top-two line can really make room for a guy like Sid."

Guerin, with seven goals, is looking up at Rupp in that category, as are others much more associated with scoring than Rupp: Malkin (eight goals), Staal (eight), winger Ruslan Fedotenko (four) and defensemen Sergei Gonchar (three) and Kris Letang (one).

"He's looking at a career year right now," Guerin said. "He's got all the tools. Now it's about opportunity.

"He's been playing in a specific role and doing a good job at it his whole career, but there's more to him. I like the looks of it."

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.