PHILADELPHIA -- Bill Guerin appeared in his 1,220th NHL game when the Penguins faced the Philadelphia Flyers last night at the Wachovia Center.

Since breaking into the league with New Jersey in 1991-92, he has played on no fewer than eight teams, with stops in five divisions and four time zones.

Along the way, Guerin has been immersed in some serious rivalries and, while he is still relatively new to the one between the Penguins and Flyers, has seen enough to conclude that it compares favorably to just about any.

That's pretty impressive, since a partial rundown of the competition for that distinction includes New Jersey-New York Rangers, Edmonton-Calgary, Boston-Montreal and New York Islanders-Rangers.

"It's definitely up there," Guerin said yesterday. "This is big, because both teams are real good. Both teams have young superstars who are going to be playing against each other for a long time, and the recent playoff history and stuff like that.

"I know it's been a rivalry for a long time, but it's going to be a real good one for a long time."

Mike Rupp is in his first season with the Penguins, but also experienced the Devils-Rangers rivalry and believes this one is every bit as intense.

"It's right there," he said. "You could kind of feel the energy, leading up to the [Penguins' 6-1 home-ice victory Tuesday]. You could tell that it's taken a little bit differently [than other games]."

While rosters for the 2010 Olympics haven't been announced yet, the Penguins should be well-represented in Vancouver, British Columbia.

For Team Canada, Sidney Crosby is a lock -- the only question is whether he will be named captain -- and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury seems like a pretty safe bet, too. What's more, it's a given that Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar represent Russia unless they are injured.

But at least two players -- defenseman Brooks Orpik and center Jordan Staal -- appear to be on the bubble for their respective national teams, Team USA and Canada, and won't know exactly what they will be doing in February until the rosters are made public in a couple of weeks.

Both acknowledge thinking about whether they'll be selected, if only because it has become a popular topic of conversation for others.

"I've been asked by a lot of people lately, so it's not completely avoided," Orpik said. "It's definitely something that's in the back of your mind, but the way our schedule is this year, you don't really have time to think about stuff like that.

"And to be honest, I think it's unfair to [one's teammates] if you're thinking too much about that. But there are always small reminders. You hear stuff about it, then you get drug-tested for it, stuff like that."

Because of Canada's exceptional depth -- it probably could field two teams capable of contending for a medal -- the odds of Staal being selected are longer than those of Orpik being chosen to play for Team USA.

"It'd be something special to be part of that team," Staal said. "I'm just happy to be [under consideration to be] a part of it. There are so many good players up there, it's tough for any player to make it. There are going to be a lot of great players left out."

Guerin played last night despite being struck on the foot by a Chris Pronger clearing attempt in the Penguins' victory against Philadelphia Tuesday at Mellon Arena.

He sat out practice Wednesday but said he did not have an X-ray or MRI on the injured area, and he made it sound as if skipping the rematch with the Flyers never was seriously considered.

"It was just a little stinger-type thing that goes away," Guerin said after the game-day skate. "It's fine. ... I just wanted to get my skate off [after the game Tuesday] and get some ice on it."

The Penguins scratched forward Max Talbot and defenseman Martin Skoula for the second game in a row. ... Crosby, on his reaction to not being selected for Team Canada in 2006: "As soon as I didn't get picked, I became a fan. There were absolutely no hard feelings. I was more happy that I was considered."

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