Shelly Anderson: OK. It was an interesting practice today. Fire away with the questions.

SprJudd: What do you think of the role of social networking and blogging for players, team executives, and owners? Do the Pens put any restrictions on members of the team to prevent them from putting out anything as embarrassing (and sometimes petty) as "Ted's Take" - the blog of Caps owner Ted Leonsis?

Shelly Anderson: I don't know of any restrictions, but it seems the players shy away from such things on public forums. There are, or at least have been, numberous "fake" pages and walls and such that were supposed to belong to players. Coach Dan Bylsma might be an exception. He has a Web site and I believe at least used to maintain a Facebook or MySpace page. I doubt he has much time to devote to that now that he's a head coach in the NHL.

SprJudd: Where do you see Mike Rupp fitting in on this team regularly? While I am wary of setting expectations for his performance too high, there is no debating that he's already far exceeded what was expected of him and he warrants more than 6 minutes in ice time.

Shelly Anderson: I agree that Mike Rupp, who always had the label "rugged winger," has exceeded expectations. He never had more than six goals in a season and now has nine and has shown he can play on the top two lines. However, on this team with everyone healthy, he is probably going to play mostly the role he was signed for -- a fourth-liner. Just as it's a boon to have a third-line center as good as Jordan Staal, it's a plus to have someone like Rupp as mainly a fourth-liner. One interesting thing about Rupp -- he was essentially the 13th forward during line rushes at practice today. That doesn't necessarily mean he will be the healthy forward who gets scratched tomorrow against Philadelphia, though. Coach Dan Bylsma praised the way Rupp made the most of a limited amount of ice time last game.

SprJudd: Have the Pens given any thoughts to putting Godard, Rupp, or Cooke out on the PP? Those 3 would be perfect candidates to stand in front and screen the goalie: they're hard-nosed players, they'll take (and dish out) punishment, and they don't have modeling careers to jeopardize.

Shelly Anderson: Funny you should ask about the power play. The Penguins spent a considerable amount of time working on that today. They showed some different looks in personnel and tactics. Center Evgeni Malkin spent some time on the left point opposite Sergei Gonchar. Matt Cooke did, indeed, get some looks on the top unit, where his role was to be a bulldog in front of the net. I've always though Mike Rupp would be suitable for that role, too, but maybe not Eric Godard. You can read more about the power-play at practice later this afternoon on the PG Plus Penguins blog and in tomorrow's Post-Gazette.

SprJudd: Do you believe the 4th line is being under-utilized? I think that Max Talbot and Mike Rupp are steady contributors and Eric Godard has shown this season (especially recently before the return of Chris Kunitz) that he is a decent player - while he won't ever compete with Sid & Geno in terms of skill, he's shown he can be far more than fists on the ice.

Shelly Anderson: It's kind of question of numbers and the talent pyramid. As you say, that fourth line is proving to be a pretty good one, but those players' minutes are going to suffer when the Penguins get a lot of power-play time in a game or in the third period of a tight game. Which other line are you going to leave on the bench to get the fourth line out there?

mbpensfan: I think it is safe to assume that Godard will be in the lineup for the next 2 games against the Flyers. I least I hope he is. Who do you think will be the healthy scratch for those games?

Shelly Anderson: For the next two games, a home-and-home series against rough-and-tough rival Philadelphia, it would make sense to have Eric Godard in the lineup. Who becomes the healthy scratch is a very intriguing question. As I noted earlier, Mike Rupp pretty much practiced as the odd man out, but he was praised by coach Dan Bylsma afterward. So, perhaps the other candidates are Max Talbot, Craig Adams or Pascal Dupuis, although none of them seem to deserve to sit and watch, either.

SprJudd: Do you see Peter Laviolette being axed by the Flyers if they don't start to win more soon? Personally I don't think Laviolette (or even John Stevens) is the problem - I believe the problem in Philadelphia can be summed up in 4 words: Paul Holmgren & Bobby Clarke.

Shelly Anderson: I couldn't agree more with the last part of your submission. That said, even those in charge in Philadelphia are likely to give Peter Laviolette -- who recently replaced John Stevens as coach -- a fighting chance to get things on track over the coming weeks. Then again, if the Flyers' chances of making the playoffs are starting to look desperate, you never know what could happen.

pcpens: For such a young, talented player, does Kris Letang has confidence issues and if so, does the coaching staff try to address it? It seems that as the season is going on, he is loosing the confidence he showed during the playoffs last season.

Shelly Anderson: For all his skill, defenseman Kris Letang has always been one who wears his emotion on his sleeve, and that sometimes seems to wear on his confidence. It seems, though, that he's more balanced this season. Don't forget that he's only, what, 22, still young for an NHL defenseman. By the way, Letang missed practice because of illness. Coach Dan Bylsma is hopeful Letang will be recovered enough to play tomorrow night against the Flyers.

SprJudd: Do you think the play of Deryk Engelland and Ben Lovejoy makes Ray Shero more likely to deal one or two defensemen at the deadline? Do you think those 2 will make the NHL top 6 next season?

Shelly Anderson: The Penguins seem to like the play and the upside of defensive prospects Deryk Engelland and Ben Lovejoy, but it's far too early to say whether they feel strongly enough about them to be willing to trade a top-six defenseman for, say, a scoring winger when the March 3 trade deadline rolls around.

SprJudd: What do you think is ailing the powerplay the most? Is it coaching scheme, too much talent on the ice (causing a drop-off in intensity and hard work), or is it something else? Do you foresee Mike Yeo taking the bullet if the PP doesn't get better or will on-ice personnel change on the PP?

Shelly Anderson: Although the troubles with the power play are many -- entering the zone smoothly, getting set up, perhaps overpassing at times -- the thing that stands out most to me is their inability to maintain control of the puck. When they do get set up and work for a good shot, it's basic math that most of the time those won't go in. Inevitably this season, the other team's penalty killers get to the rebound or blocked or errantly deflected shot and the puck is sent flying down the ice, making the Penguins go back and start over.

ajt123: Any word on the cap yet for next year? When will anyone get any kind of indication if it will rise or fall?

Shelly Anderson: Lately there has been less panic about the status of the salary cap for next season, thoughts that maybe it won't take a big dip because of the economy. Team owners and general managers should find out late in the season, in enough time to make some decisions about free agency. If the cap doesn't drop, that's good news for the Penguins, who are riding close to the ceiling this season.

King_Moonracer: Is it true that they are moving Malkin to the other side for the PP? Did he look comfortable there?

Shelly Anderson: As discussed in a previous answer, center Evgeni Malkin did practice at the left point quite a bit today, a spot usually held by defensemen Alex Goligoski or Kris Letang. He looked relatively comfortable -- though it was just practice -- and said afterward he doesn't have a problem playing there. You can read his comments later today on the PG Plus Penguins blog and in the Post-Gazette tomorrow.

Shelly Anderson: Thanks, everyone. Good mix of questions. We'll do it again next week.

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.