Update Day In Penguin Nation

With the Pittsburgh Penguins having an off-day before tomorrow night's tilt at Mellon Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning, all eyes around the club are on the status of Russian teammates Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, both of whom have missed several games recently with different ailments.

Sarge's absence has reportedly been due to illness, but the exact scope of what's ailing the Pens' power play quarterback hasn't been revealed. If indeed he's merely under the weather, it must be some flu to keep him out 3 games.

Anyway, Gonchar is said to be close to returning, perhaps even tomorrow night.

Malkin's return from a right foot injury is not likely to come quite as soon.

As most Penguin observers know, Malkin took a shot off the right foot from teammate Kris Letang a few weeks ago against the Tampa Bay Lightning and missed the next 2 contests before returning to play 6 days later against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Geno may have been the Pens' best player against Carolina, too --- until he slid awkwardly into the boards toward the end of the overtime period in that contest and tweaked the injury. Malkin has missed 4 games since and isn't likely to be ready until this coming weekend. At the earliest.

Head Coach Dan Bylsma said yesterday that they aren't going to rush Malkin back into the lineup, and rightly so. I mean, let's face it. The Penguins have 6 regular season games left. The most important thing at this stage is to get Geno healthy for the post-season. Pittsburgh doesn't want him dealing with a nagging problem at that stage if they can help it.

If Malkin can play one or two regular season games before the playoffs, that should be more than enough to get him in synch. Either way, it's critical that they let him get back as close to 100% as possible.

On a different note, rumors of the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the 2011 Winter Classic gained additional steam on Sunday when further reports came out inicating that the Penguins were much closer -- and seemingly the accepted favorite -- to land the NHL's prime-time annual marketing display as a host to a contest against their arch rivals, the Washington Captials.

No surprise there, as talk has been ruminating for a few months about the likelihood of the Pens and Caps -- and their captains, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin -- squaring off in the league's next showcase event.

However, the noteworthy thing about the story was that it looks as if the game would be held at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not PNC Park, where the Pittsburgh Pirates play.

As most people know, the Winter Classic the last few seasons has taken place in a few legendary baseball stadiums -- Wrigley Field in Chicago, and Fenway Park in Boston.

Initially, it was thought that any Winter Classic held in Pittsburgh would be at PNC, which is commonly known as one of the most beautiful parks in all of baseball (even if not befitting of the miserable team that typically plays there).

However, I, for one, am happy to hear that the game would likely be at Heinz instead. While I appreciate the nostalgia of stadiums like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, those places aren't ideally suited to host a hockey game. There are so many seats that are just WAY, WAY, WAY too far from the rink.

I watched the last 2 Winter Classics and thought, "Wow -- great atmosphere -- but you can't see anything".

Now, that's part of the allure the NHL has created, and they deserve credit for that. They have people so excited about the event that they're just happy to be there regardless of where they sit. That's a good thing.

But with better sightlines -- and a much greater seating capacity in a football stadium, like when the Penguins played in the first Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson stadium in Buffalo in 2008 -- its makes complete and total sense to play the game at Heinz field instead.

That will be the right move by the NHL if that's the way they go.

And putting the Penguins in the Classic again -- especially against the Capitals -- so soon after they were last in it is also the right move for the league.

Pittsburgh and Washington have the greatest rivalry in the NHL right now. There hasn't been a rivarly on their level since the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche brewed some hatred together in the Western Conference starting in the mid 1990's. Every game -- every series -- between those two clubs was practically legendary.

The Pens' and Caps' are approaching that level and the league would be foolish not to take their single, signature game and put the cameras and publicity all over those clubs and their many superstars.

We'll see when the announcement becomes official.

More later.