Wilson thought nothing of putting winger Alexei Ponikarovsky back out for a regular shift in Tampa after he took a boarding call leading to the tying goal and then further undermined his team with an unsportsmanlike minor. The Lightning won it in OT when Wayne Primeau touched the puck before Matt Stajan made a legal line change.

“I told (Ponikarovsky) to get out there and make it up to his teammates,” Wilson said. “He’s one of our better players and no one felt worse. Sitting down a guy with 18 goals makes no sense.

“And at that point of the game, you’d think the referee would understand the stakes. We’d just given up the tying goal, (Ponikarovsky) slams the door and he (Chris Lee) wants to show who’s the boss so he gives him two minutes. That’s a really tacky penalty to call, really picayune if you ask me.”

Ponikarovsky was with old linemates Matt Stajan and Jason Blake at the hour long practice on Friday, which emphasized scoring for the inconsistent team. He said there is no dressing room discord as the games dwindle.

“The only thing you can do wrong is stop pushing and stop playing,” he said. “We have to hope for the best.”

11. Alexei Ponikarovsky: Toronto isn't necessarily looking to move the 29-year-old forward who is usually good for at least 20 goals a season. But there are few untouchables in Burke's transition plans, and the «for sale» sign officially went up in Toronto last weekend. So Ponikarovsky, or someone like Matt Stajan, another pending unrestricted free agent, could be had for the right price.

Ponikarovsky, 29, leads the team with 19 goals and among the teams interested in him are the Penguins who believe he might fit in alongside Evgeni Malkin, who has spent much of the season alongside the offensively challenged Maxime Talbot and Ruslan Fedotenko.

TSN: Finally, NHL trade speculation wouldn't be complete without the Toronto Maple Leafs involved.

Alexei Ponikarovsky continues to draw interest from as many as 10 teams. However, there have been no offers. The Leafs are asking for a second-round draft pick and a prospect or a roster player in return.

Toronto Sun: Ponikarovsky seems to be the most likely candidate to move, with one team already having offered a second round pick and a prospect prior to the Olympics. The Leafs opted to wait until the conclusion of the Games, however, figuring the offers might become more lucrative as the deadline nears.

Various reports suggest the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins might be a landing spot for Ponikarovsky, with Pens head scout Derek Clancey having been spotted at the Air Canada Centre numerous times last month. A number of internet stories, meanwhile, have linked Stempniak to his home town of Buffalo.

Whatever happens, it should be a busy few days. Just ask Brian Burke.

The final hurdle to Alexei Ponikarovsky joining the Penguins has been cleared.

This afternoon, Ponikarovsky, who was acquired from Toronto in a trade Tuesday, received the visa he needs to play for a team based in the United States.

He will not join the Penguins for their game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight, but is scheduled to fly from Toronto to Pittsburgh and to participate in the team's practice Friday.

Ponikarovsky, who had 19 goals and 22 assists in 61 games with the Maple Leafs, is expected to be used at left wing on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Ruslan Fedotenko.

Ponikarovsky suspended 2 games for Bailey hit

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Alexei Ponikarovsky has been suspended for the final two games of the regular season for a hit from behind Thursday against the New York Islanders.

Early in the third period, Islander center Josh Bailey turned to play a puck in the Pittsburgh end. Ponikarovsky came directly from behind on Bailey and cross-checked him into the boards.

Ponikarovsky was given a major for boarding and a game misconduct. Bailey was able to skate off under his own power, but did not return. Earlier in the game, he scored his 16th goal of the season.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Ponikarovsky will forfeit $21,813.48. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Ponikarovsky will miss Saturday's game at Atlanta and Sunday's game at the Islanders.

Ponikarovsky explains his hit against Bailey

It was not a matter of malice, Alexei Ponikarovsky said.

He was not trying to injure New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey when he knocked Bailey into the boards in the Penguins' 7-3 victory at Mellon Arena Thursday night.

But with hits from behind, along with blows to the head, commanding so much attention in today's NHL, he wasn't surprised to be assessed a two-game suspension. Especially after it was learned that Bailey had sustained season-ending facial injuries.

«We all know they're [coming down] pretty hard right now on accidents like that," Ponikarovsky said. «I was hoping I wouldn't get suspended, but the circumstances we got into dictated that I had to be suspended.»

Ponikarovsky sat out the Penguins' game against Atlanta at Philips Arena Saturday night, and will be in street clothes again when they close out the regular season at 5:08 p.m. today on Long Island.

«I didn't anticipate two games," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. «But the league has made it clear they're going to look at every one of these hits.»

Ponikarovsky's recollection of the sequence that got him suspended:

«I was gong back to the defensive zone, and saw the puck going into the corner. I went to help one of our [defensemen]. He was with the other guy, and the puck kind of slid into the corner.

«I thought Bailey was going to pick it up and at the last second, he decided to make a sharp turn. I was going through with my check and basically, he kind of leaned forward too low and there was no way for me to turn away. Momentum was taking me right through it and I basically finished the check.

«It wasn't my intention to hurt anybody. I'm not that type of player who does

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: It's time to declare the trade-deadline deal for Alexei Ponikarovsky a major flop. Ponikarovsky was supposed to be the high-scoring wing the Penguins needed to play on one of their top two lines, but he scored three goals and 14 points in 27 games and was so unproductive that he was demoted to the fourth line before being benched for Games 5 and 6 against Montreal.