Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was the only player missing from practice Tuesday at Southpointe.

Malkin, who has a sore right foot, accompanied the team to New Jersey, and there is a chance he will play tonight against the Devils.

Coach Dan Bylsma said Malkin remains "day to day," after X-rays Monday revealed no break. Malkin left the game Sunday at Tampa Bay after being hit by a shot by teammate Kris Letang during a power play late in the second period.

Center and leading scorer Sidney Crosby practiced and reported only a little soreness in his right knee as a result of a check by Tampa Bay winger Steve Downie.

"I consider myself to be pretty lucky," Crosby said. "I'm happy with the way it feels right now."

Downie reportedly had a phone hearing with NHL officials and was fined $1,000. He was not suspended.

On the first shift of the game Sunday, Crosby was near the left point when Downie checked him with a move similar to a slew foot. Downie's left leg pushed Crosby's right leg from behind, and Crosby's leg bent awkwardly as they fell. Crosby arched his back and twisted his upper body to avoid what might have been a serious injury.

"I saw [the replay] again, and I don't think there was any need for his leg to be behind me like that," Crosby said. "That's hockey sometimes. Once we go down, we are twisted up, and there's not much you can do.

"But if his leg's not behind me to start with, my leg doesn't even get in that position. I didn't like it, but it's hockey, and these things happen."

Penguins winger/enforcer Eric Godard could return imminently from a Jan. 25 groin injury.

"He's close," Bylsma said.

After skating on his own for a week, Godard skated and subjected himself to some contact Monday while most of the team was off, then joined the club for practice Tuesday.

"It feels OK. Getting better every day," he said. "It just depends on how it feels going through the work and how it feels the next day. I'm just trying to get better, get back in game shape."

Bylsma was asked if he would consider making Matt Cooke a healthy scratch Thursday at Boston to defuse the angst over Cooke not being suspended for his hit March 7 on Boston's Marc Savard.

"Is there a chance? There's always a decision to be made by the coaches ... [but] I don't think that's going to happen," Bylsma said.

Veteran winger Bill Guerin has filled a space between his corner locker stall and a wall at Southpointe with a built-in custom wooden accessory. It's not unlike a small bedside stand.

It has a dual cup holder, a drawer and a bin. A large "13" in gold tone numerals marks it as Guerin's.

So far, he's ignoring grief from his teammates, most of whom have stalls that are "landlocked," with no space for such an accessory.

New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin told the Newark Star-Ledger it's "50-50" he will return tonight. He has been out since he got a broken arm Oct. 24 against the Penguins when he got hit by a Guerin shot. ... The Devils are assured of their 18th consecutive season above .500, moving ahead of Detroit for the longest active streak in the NHL. New Jersey ranks third behind Montreal (32 winning seasons in a row from 1951-52 to 1982-93) and Boston (29 from 1967-68 to 1995-96). ... In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the Devils will wear red, green and white uniforms for the first time since 1991-92. ... The puck Crosby scored with in overtime Feb. 28 to lift Canada over the United States in the Olympic gold-medal game has been donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and will go on display as soon as possible. ... The Stanley Cup will be on display at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins home game tonight against Norfolk.

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.