EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's less than a month until the end of the regular season, and the Penguins are still hanging around -- not only in contention for a playoff spot, but also for home ice to start the playoffs and possibly for the Atlantic Division title.
The New Jersey Devils, who hold that division lead and faced the Penguins for the eighth and final time of their season series last night, are impressed.
"I guess everybody's kind of surprised just how well the young guys have stepped up and how they've played so consistently all year. It's great," said defenseman Colin White.
"We knew they were going to be a danger eventually, but they did come up quick."
Devils coach Claude Julien said the fact that there hasn't been a dropoff heading into the stretch drive of the season makes the Penguins' story even better.
"For the most part, they've really turned it on in the second half," he said. "They're a team that's got a lot of skill -- exceptional skill, if I may say so. They're gaining experience and they're learning to play together."
Eaton takes another step
After skating on his own Tuesday, Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton participated in the team's morning skate yesterday. He has been out because of a sprained right knee since March 1 and hopes to stick to the original projection of getting back in less than four weeks.
"I'm on the ice earlier than I thought I would be," Eaton said. "Hopefully, it feels better every day and I can increase the workload daily. I did a little more [yesterday than Tuesday]. There are still a few things that hurt it and aren't up to snuff, so I guess I just have to be patient."
Eaton earlier this season missed 21/2 months after wrist surgery.
Backache a pain
Penguins winger Georges Laraque also was back on the ice. He has been dealing with back spasms this week and missed his second game in a row last night.
"I'll probably be ready [tomorrow against Montreal]," Laraque said. "It's getting better every day, but not enough to play a physical game."
Laraque had never had back spasms and was surprised at how debilitating they can be.
"The last couple of days I couldn't even move, and the trainers did a great job loosening it up," he said. "It's much better than it was."
The game plan
During the Devils' morning skate, there was a handwritten sign the size of copy paper in the hallway around the corner from the home locker room. Written in black marker:
Win, adversity
Subs play well (Rupp, Dowd)
Aiming for?
Beating Pens
Stop Crosby and Malkin
Michael Rupp and Jim Dowd are seldom used forwards who are playing more recently because of injuries. Sidney Crosby had 17 points in 15 career games against New Jersey going into last night, and Evgeni Malkin had eight points in seven games.
The note was gone before the Penguins' morning skate.
Slap shots
Eaton and Laraque were two of just seven players who took part in the morning skate, which was overseen by conditioning coach Stephane Dube. The others who skated were defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski, forwards Chris Thorburn and Nils Ekman -- all of whom have played little lately -- and goaltenders Jocelyn Thibault and Marc-Andre Fleury. ... Fleury took an Eaton shot off of an unprotected area of the outside of his right thigh during the skate. He was attended to, but stayed on the ice and continued to face shots. ... The Penguins' staff sometimes instructs certain players to skip practice as a way to conserve energy during busy stretches, often getting resistance from those players. It's the same in New Jersey, where Julien had winger Jamie Langenbrunner and defenseman Paul Martin skipped the morning skate. "I have veto power," Julien said.
First Published: March 15, 2007, 4:00 a.m.
