Brooks Orpik News

Hours before appearing in his 1,200th NHL game, Penguins winger Bill Guerin's thoughts were with his contribution to USA Hockey's golden era.

Matt Cooke is not a pleasant guy to be around. Not during his working hours, anyway.

Forward Max Talbot stepped from the visiting players' runway to the bench at a nearly empty Staples Center yesterday about 20 minutes before the Penguins were scheduled to practice.

Anze Kopitar scored two goals, as the Los Angeles Kings tallied four times in the third period to post a 5-2 win over the Penguins, sending Pittsburgh to its first loss in eight road games this season.Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll both registered a goal and an assist for the Kings, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight games.

What a concept. An athlete wins a championship, disagrees with his team about what he's worth and leaves as a free agent but carries no grudges.

That the struggling Ducks lost to the defending Stanley Cup champion on Tuesday should come as little surprise.

Dan Bylsma will be in the spotlight during the Penguins road trip to California this week.

Although the Pittsburgh Penguins capped off the month of October with a Halloween loss to the Minnesota Wild, there has never been a better opening month in franchise history.

The Penguins casualty list isn't pretty. Reading off the names, it almost becomes painful.

The big pads circled the puck and Steve Mason thought he had it corraled. Then it started tumbling away, wobbling inches over the goal line.

The Penguins rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final three minutes of regulation en route to a 4-3 shootout victory against Columbus at Nationwide Arena tonight.

Tuesday's 5-1 whipping of the St. Louis Blues could be the Pittsburgh Penguins' costliest victory of the season.

NEXT: Utah Grizzlies at Wranglers, 7:05 p.m. Thursday, Orleans Arena Wranglers rookie forward Andrew Orpik attempts to score Thursday against the Alaska Aces in the second period of Las Vegas' 5-2 loss at the Orleans Arena.

Sidney Crosby, center, celebrates his second goal of the game against the Florida Panthers last night at Mellon Arena.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar suffered a broken bone near his hand or wrist in Tuesday's 5-1 win over St.

Pittsburgh Penguin Brooks Orpik grimaces as Jason Spezza takes a shot on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury while Milan Michalek looks for a rebound during a 5 on 3 powerplay in third period action as the Ottawa Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in NHL action at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, October 12, 2009 Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington, The Ottawa ...

While the Penguins were getting ready to don their baby-blue sweaters for the first time this season, there also was an air of intrigue about getting their first look at a baby blue-liner. Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman, a 19-year-old Swede who stands an imposing 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, and had four assists in the first six games.

Fleury holds a 4-0-0 mark with a 2.69 GAA and .899 save percentage... Fleury holds a 4-0-0 mark with a 2.69 GAA and .899 save percentage after four starts.

Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, working against Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik and goalie Marc-AndrA© Fleury on Monday night, are starting to understand each other a little more, Spezza says.

The numbers, frankly, are pretty ordinary. Once you get past the 4-0 record, anyway.