• LW Ryan Malone did not play against the New York Rangers on Tuesday due to illness, as a virus bug continues to make its way through the Penguins' dressing room. Illness kept defenseman Sergei Gonchar from playing against the New York Islanders on Saturday, and goaltender Dany Sabourin played that game at less than 100 percent, too.
• Sabourin has not played in enough NHL games -- his start last night was merely his 31st appearance -- to know the intricacies of every building. However, following a morning skate yesterday, he offered the following assessment of the two league buildings in New York: "(Nassau Coliseum) is dark all along the glass, so you lose the puck on a shot," Sabourin said. "(Madison Square Garden) is really bright in some places and kind of dark in others. It is kind of weird, just different." Sabourin had never faced the Rangers prior to last night.
• Forward Erik Christensen said his strained neck has fully healed. He did not play against the Islanders on Saturday due to the injury, mostly because he could not turn his head. Christensen said he sustained the injury after falling on the ice during a practice late last week. The force of that fall jarred his neck. Now that he is healthy, perhaps the time off was a good thing. "I feel refreshed," Christensen said. "My legs are back."
• Left wing Jarkko Ruutu downplayed any possible suspension the league would give Islanders' left wing Chris Simon, who intentionally stepped on Ruutu's right ankle late during Saturday's game. "I can only worry about me," Ruutu said. Simon has temporarily left the Islanders to seek professional help. He has been suspended by the league on six occasions, including a record 25-game ban that stretched from last season into this year. Simon's disciplinary meeting with the NHL was yesterday.
• Captain Sidney Crosby continues to be a runaway leader in the Eastern Conference All-Star balloting, with 381,941 votes. Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov is second at 247,246.
