Around the Penguins
• Assistant coach Mike Yeo's grand plan to increase puck movement during 5-on-3 power-play opportunities paid off Thursday against the Washington Capitals at Mellon Arena. Yeo, who lamented two 5-on-3 failures in Games 4 and 6 of the Stanley Cup final, deployed centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkinon the points in an early second-period 5-on-3 last night. Forwards Jordan Staal, Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora worked up front. Crosby and Malkin played catch with the puck high in the offensive zone, and Satan and Sykora capitalized on a loose puck, the result of Malkin's shot, for a goal that gave the Penguins' a three-tally cushion.
• Left wing Matt Cooke (torso) missed his first game of the season. Cooke, who did not practice Wednesday, will be re-evaluated daily, coach Michel Therrien said. He was replaced in the lineup last night by left wing Paul Bissonnette, who made his Pittsburgh debut in front of a 70th consecutive sellout crowd.
• The Capitals were without right wing Donald Brashear (hand). One of the NHL's best enforcers, Brashear should return to Washington's lineup this weekend, coach Bruce Boudreau said. Boudreau added he was not concerned about the absence of Brashear compared to the presence of Penguins' tough-guy Eric Godard - though Boudreau praised Godard's fight with Philadelphia's Riley Cote on Tuesday. "Godard is a really tough guy," Boudreau said. "I'm just glad I wasn't (the) recipient."
Digits
3 -- Members of 2003-04 Penguins' "X-Generation" marketing campaign in the lineups last night (Brooks Orpik and Marc Andre-Fleury, Penguins; Matt Bradley, Capitals)
