The Penguins had six players appear in every game of this shortened but compacted 48-game schedule. For the sake of comparison, they only had four players appear in every contest of the typical 82-game slate in 2011-12.

Which is tougher to accomplish? The sprint of 48 games in 99 days with little in the ways of extended multi-day breaks or the marathon of 82 games over 185 days with trips to the Western Conference included?

The six players who appeared in all 48 games this season for the Penguins as well as the team's head coach recently weighed in on the difference

Pascal Dupuis (above, with Matt Cooke), RW - "We played the last 48 (games) in 103 (days) last year. It wasn’t any different for me than any other season for me travel-wise or game-wise. That’s what we did down the stretch basically (last season)."

Chris Kunitz, LW - "They’re all tough. This one obviously, there was hockey every day for 99 or 100-some days. There wasn’t many breaks in between until the end of the year. It was hockey all the time. You get home, you prepare for the next game and there was another game coming. It was different."

Tanner Glass, LW - "I’d say the 82 just by the sheer number of games. I got to 78 last year and broke my foot so I’ll say 82."

Brandon Sutter (right), C - "I think 82 is definitely a grind. I think if you ask around the room, a few of the guys would say they wish every year was 48 games. Eight-two [games] is long. You forget how long it is when you play a short season. Obviously we played a lot of games in a short amount of time [this season] but I think still the 82 games is definitely more of a challenge."

Craig Adams, RW - "I don’t know. I think each year is different whether you’re battling injuries or having to play though things or you’re playing well or not as well as you like. This season I’ve had a few things here and there just like everybody. It seems like it’s gone by quickly. It’s been a smooth ride."

Matt Cooke, LW - "I think they’re equally as hard and probably for different reasons. It’s tough to put a full season together. It’s not an easy thing to do."

Dan Bylsma, head coach - "This season playing all the games I think is more impressive. The amount of training camp and the situation coming into a season starting in January were generally speaking in not as good of shape as they would be coming into a September camp. Camp was only really six days. Players didn’t leave camp in the shape they would leave a full three-week camp. So to be able to play all 48 games in a shorter period of time is a bigger accomplishment than a regular 82-game season."

(Photos: Cooke/Dupuis-Claus Andersen/Getty Images; Sutter-Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Some items that fell off my laptop ...

First off, did you know Montour star athlete Devin Wilson has a twin brother in the NBA?

That's right. His name is Klay Thompson, a sharpshooting guard for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. You can't convince me that Wilson and Thompson weren't separated at birth - like Chris Paul and Cliff Paul.

Check it out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, Thompson and Stephen Curry are worth watching in these NBA playoffs. When they both have the shooting stroke? Wow. Especially Curry.

Maybe Devin can get some shooting tips from his twin brother, Klay.

OK, onto some other items.

How they rated in high school

It's always interesting to look at the top picks in the NFL draft and look back to how they were ranked in high school.

Looking at the top five picks in this draft and old rankings by Rivals.com, the No. 1 pick was a two-star player in high school, the No. 2 and 3 were four-stars, the No. 4 was not rated at all and was 100 pounds lighter and the No. 5 pick lived in Ghana and did not play high school football.

Here's the scoop. No. 1 pick Eric Fisher of Rochester Hills, Mich. was rated with two stars (five is the highest). He was an offensive lineman who played college foootball at Central Michigan and is a great example of how it is tough to predict offensive linemen's futures. It is so hard to predict how they will progress, will they add much more weight and muscle, etc.

No. 2 pick Luke Joeckel was a four-star offensive lineman out of Arlingon, Texas.

No. 3 pick Dion Jordan was a four-star tight end from Chandler, Ariz. He was drafted as a defensive end.

No. 4 pick Lane Johnson was not rated by Rivals.com. He was a quarterback at Groveton, Texas. Have you heard of kids putting on the freshman 15? How about the freshman 25, sophomore 25, junior 25 and senior 25? Johnson was 6-6, 202 pounds in high school. Now he's a 6-6, 303-pound offensive tackle.

No. 5 pick Ziggy Ansah lived in Ghana.

What also is interesting is a check at how the top-ranked players from previous classes are doing. The No. 1 player in 2009 was Bryce Brown, who signed with Tenessee out of high school, eventually transferred to Kansas State, but didn't have much of a college career. He was drafted in the seventh round last year and made the Phiadelphia Eagles for the 2012 season.

Rivals' No. 1 player in 2008 was Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

But it is only fair to point out that there are many cases where players are ranked highly and DO live up to the ranking. For example, in 2009, the No. 2 player in the country was receiver Reuben Randle, who went to LSU and was drafted in the second round last year by the New York Giants.

The No. 3 player in 2009 was offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, who was the No. 11 pick in this year's draft out of Alabama.

The No. 4 player was Sheldon Richardson, who was the No. 13 pick in this year's draft out of Missouri.

The No. 5 player in 2009 was quarterback Matt Barkley, who went to USC and slipped to a fourth-round pick this year.

Spencer for hire?

Spencer Stefko resigned as Chartiers Valley's girls basketball coach a few weeks ago. Stefko enjoyed success at Chartiers Valley, but he might not be without a job for long. He is one of the candidates for the Seton-LaSalle girls job. It might be a few weeks before Seton-LaSalle makes a hire.

Seton-LaSalle is expected to be strong again next year with the return of Naje Gibson and Cassidy Walsh. The Rebels will also have Yacine Diop, who figures to be one of the top players in the state. Diop was ruled ineligible to play this season by the WPIAL and PIAA after transferring from Oak Hill Academy with alleged "athletic intent."

How good is Diop? Well she is a 5-10 guard who is ranked the No. 47 player in the country by Hoopgurlz.com and the No. 7 guard.

Seton-LaSalle has played in the WPIAL Class AA championship five years in a row.

New Duquesne coach has WPIAL ties

Duquesne's previous womens basketball coach had strong ties to Western Pennsylvania. Suzie McConnell-
Serio was a veritable legend to the Pittsburgh area womens basketball community.

But Duquesne's new coach also is from Western Pa. OK, he can't come close to matching McConnell-Serio's reputation in the area, but Dan Burt played basketball at Trinity High School in Washington.

Memorable race

Jim Faiella is the unofficial WPIAL girls track and field historian. He knows "EVERYTHING" and has been compiling the WPIAL girls track honor roll for decades. He points out a rather unusual 1,600-meter race last week in the Shaler-North Hills meet last week.

Shaler's Brianna Schwartz, North Hills' Mary Malone and her sister, Shannon, all broke five minutes in the 1,600. Faiella believes it probably is the first time in WPIAL history that three girls have broken five minutes in a dual meet. Schwartz won with a 4:55.2, Mary Malone was second at 4:55.8 and Shannon third at 4:57.2.

Consider this: Only 20 girls are known to have broken five minutes in the history of the WPIAL - and there were three in this dual meet. Schwartz is No. 6 on the all-time list at 4:54.15, Mary Malone tied for eighth with the 4:55.8 and Shannon Malone 10th at 4:56.17.

It should be interesting when all three run in the Baldwin Invitational this Friday and again in the WPIAL championships in a few weeks.

Penguins

-Mark Eaton (right) sees similarities between this Penguins team and the 2009 squad.

-The Penguins will face the Islanders in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

-The entire schedule for the quarterfinal round.

-Could the Long Island marathon make things tricky for Game 3 at Nassau County Coliseum Sunday?

-Why did Root Sports switch from the Pirates game to the Penguins game Saturday?

-Jeff Zatkoff made 35 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-2 road win against the rival Binghamton Senators in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. The Penguins lead the best-of-five series, 2-0 and host Game 3 of the series, Thursday, 7:05 p.m.

-Former Penguins forward Petr Sykora has joined HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga.

-Today would've been the 75th birthday of former Penguins forward Mel Pearson. Claimed in the 1967 expansion draft from the Blackhawks, Pearson's Penguins career amounted to two games and one assist with the 1967-68 club. After being loaned for most of the next two seasons, he was traded to Portland of the WHL for cash during the 1969 offseason. He died in 1999 at the age of 60.

-Happy 52nd birthday to former Penguins forward Doug Shedden (right). A fifth-round pick in 1980, Redden spent parts of five seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 1981-82, Shedden saw action in 38 games and scored 25 points. He followed that up in 1982-83 by playing in 80 games and scoring a team-leading 67 points. During 1983-84, he was limited to 67 games and 57 points. In 1984-85, Shedden appeared in 80 games and contributed 67 points. After 67 games and 66 points in 1984-85, Shedden was traded to the Red Wings in exchange for Ron Duguay. In 332 games with the Penguins, Shedden scored 282 points, 23rd-most in franchise history. The first player in franchise history to score a home overtime goal in the regular season, Shedden is currently the coach of EV Zug in Switzerland.

Atlantic Division

-"We know what we can do, what we're trying to accomplish. If someone out there wants to underestimate us, so be it. We can't control that." - Islanders forward Michael Grabner on reaching the postseason.

-Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov had some strong parting words with the Philadelphia media:

-The Islanders recalled forwards Brock Nelson, John Persson, Ryan Strome, Johan Sundstrom, defensemen Matt Donovan, Calvin de Haan, Aaron Ness and goaltender Anders Nilsson from Bridgeport of the AHL.

Northeast Division

-Jean-Gabriel Paggeau and Kyle Turris each had a goal and an assist for the Senators in a 4-2 win against the Bruins. Erik Karlsson recorded two assists for Ottawa while teammate Robin Lehner made 34 saves. Dennis Seidenberg led Boston with a goal and an assist.

-Ottawa's Chris Neil and Boston's Milan Lucic had a spirited bout:

-Boston's Dennis Seidenberg got everything on this shot:

-Ottawa's Marc Methot > Boston's Wade Redden:

-The crew at TD Garden didn't wast time getting the ice ready for the playoffs:

-Boston's Tuukka Rask stopped Ottawa's Erik Condra here:

Southeast Division

-Capitals captain/forward Alex Ovechkin officially claimd the Maurice "Rocket" Richard award as the NHL's leading goal scorer with 32 goals.

-The Hurricanes assigned forwards Tim Wallace, Nicolas Blanchard and Jared Staal to Charlotte of the AHL.

Central Division

-Blackhawks goaltenders Corey Crawford (right) and Ray Emery claimed the William F. Jennings trophy after allowing a league-low 102 goals this season.

-The Blackhawks recalled defenseman Klas Dahlbeck and Dylan Olsen from Rockford of the AHL.

-“It’s something I’m sure everyone in this room has thought about over the last 12 months." - Blues defenseman Barrett Jackman on facing the Kings in the quarterfinal round. Los Angeles eliminated St. Louis from the postseason last year.

-"It was really tough for me to get out of bed today. It was easy every day leading up to it, but it was tough this morning getting up." - Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards on missing the playoffs.

-The Blue Jackets assigned forward Ryan Johansen and defenseman Dalton Prout to Springfield of the AHL.

-Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne revealed he's been dealing with an undisclosed injury most of the season.

-The Predators assigned forwards Daniel Bang, Taylor Beck, Kevin Henderson, Chris Mueller, Joonas Rask and defenseman Victor Bartley to Milwaukee of the AHL.

Northwest Division

-“I’m not going to name any names, but there were definitely some other guys who could have been scratched." - Oilers defenseman and former Penguin Ryan Whitney (right) on being a healthy scratch multiple times this season.

-After head coach Joe Sacco was fired, Eric Lacroix, the Avalanche's vice president of hockey operations, resigned.

-EN Says: The Avalanche needed some major changes. At one time, the Avalanche was the model franchise in the NHL. Now, it's routinely in "contention" for the top pick in the draft.

Pacific Division

-“I had a list of candidates and when it became clear that Jim Nill would be interested in leaving Detroit and coming here, I threw the list away. I think he is without a doubt he best candidate to take his job.” - Stars owner Tom Galiardi on new general manager Jim Nill who previously served as the Red Wings' assistant general manager.

-EN Says: The Stars have been spinning their wheels for the past five seasons. The haven't progressed or even regressed during that time. Nill, who was seemingly destined to be a general manager for several years, should provide a sense of direction for this wayward franchise.

-“I think I need a little time to enjoy my kids, It’s a big commitment and one that I took seriously and put a lot of time and effort into. But I think it’s time that my kids get to see their dad a little more.” - Joe Nieuwendyk on being fired as Stars general manager.

-The Stars assigned forwards Alex Chiasson, Reilly Smith and defenseman Alex Chiasson to Texas of the AHL.

IIHF World Championships

-Team Canada named goaltenders Devan Dubnyk (Edmonton), Michael Garnett, (Traktor Chelyabinsk - KHL), Mike Smith (Phoenix Coyotes NHL), defensemen T.J. Brodie (Flames), Brian Campbell (Florida), Brenden Dillon (Dallas), Jay Harrison (Carolina), Stéphane Robidas (Dallas), Luke Schenn (Philadelphia), Justin Schultz (Edmonton), forwards Matt Duchene (Colorado), Jordan Eberle (Edmonton), Claude Giroux (Philadelphia), Taylor Hall (Edmonton), Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg), Ryan O'Reilly (Colorado), Matt Read (Philadelphia), Wayne Simmonds (Philadelphia), Jeff Skinner (Carolina), Eric Staal (Carolina), Jordan Staal (right) (Carolina) and Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) to its roster for next month's IIHF World Championships.

-Hurricanes defensemen Justin Faulk and Tim Gleason will play for the United States while forward Jiri Tlusty will play for the Czech Republic.

-Panthers forward Tomas Fleischmann (Czech Republic), Marcel Goc (Germany), Nick Bjugstad (United States), Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia) and goaltender Jacob Markstrom (Sweden) will play in the tournament.

(Photos: Eaton-Harry How/Getty Images; Shedden-Penguins Hockey Cards; Senators/Bruins-Steven Senne/Associated Press and Jared Wickerham/Getty Images; Crawford-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Whitney-Perry Nelson/Getty Images; Staal-Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The garage league NHL finally got around to releasing its postseason schedule for the quarterfinal round. Here are the games with a partial list of national broadcasters.

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES A -  Pittsburgh vs. #8 NY Islanders

Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.  - NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Friday, May 3, 7 p.m. - NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Sunday, May 5, Noon - Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (NBC, TSN)
Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m. - Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
*-Thursday, May 9, 7 p.m. - NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (TSN)
*-Saturday, May 11, TBD - Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (TSN)
*-Sunday, May 12, TBD - NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (TSN)

SERIES B - #2 Montreal vs. #7 Ottawa

Thursday, May 2 - 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal (CBC, RDS, CNBC)
Friday, May 3 - 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal (CBC, RDS, CNBC)
Sunday, May 5 - 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa (CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network)
Tuesday, May 7 - 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa (CBC, RDS, CNBC)
*-Thursday, May 9 - 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal (CBC, RDS)
*-Saturday, May 11 - TBD Montreal at Ottawa (CBC, RDS)
*-Sunday, May 12 - TBD Ottawa at Montreal (CBC, RDS)

SERIES C - #3 Washington vs. #6 NY Rangers

Thursday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. - NY Rangers at Washington (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Saturday, May 4, 12:30 p.m. - NY Rangers at Washington (NBC, TSN)
Monday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. - Washington at NY Rangers (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Wednesday, May 8, 7:30 p.m. - Washington at NY Rangers (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
*-Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. - NY Rangers at Washington (TSN)
*-Sunday, May 12, TBD - Washington at NY Rangers (TSN)
*-Monday, May 13, TBD - NY Rangers at Washington (TSN)

SERIES D TIME - #4 Boston vs. #5 Toronto

Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m. - Toronto at Boston (CNBC, CBC, RDS)
Saturday, May 4, 7 p.m. -Toronto at Boston (CNBC, CBC, RDS)
Monday, May 6, 7 p.m. - Boston at Toronto (CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.)
Wednesday, May 8, 7 p.m. - Boston at Toronto (CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.)
*-Friday, May 10, 7 p.m. - Toronto at Boston (CBC, RDS)
*-Sunday, May 12, TBD - Boston at Toronto (CBC, RDS)
*-Monday, May 13, TBD - Toronto at Boston (CBC, RDS)

WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES E #1 - Chicago vs. #8 Minnesota

Tuesday, April 30, 8 p.m. - Minnesota at Chicago (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Friday, May 3, 9:30 p.m. - Minnesota at Chicago (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Sunday, May 5, 3 p.m. - Chicago at Minnesota (NBC, CBC)
Tuesday, May 7, 9:30 p.m. - Chicago at Minnesota (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
*-Thursday, May 9, TBD - Minnesota at Chicago (CBC)
*-Saturday, May 11, TBD - Chicago at Minnesota (CBC)
*-Sunday, May 12, TBD - Minnesota at Chicago (CBC)

SERIES F - #2 Anaheim vs. #7 Detroit

Tuesday, April 30, 10:30 p.m. - Detroit at Anaheim (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Thursday, May 2, 10 p.m. - Detroit at Anaheim (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Saturday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. - Anaheim at Detroit (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Monday, May 6, 8 p.m. - Anaheim at Detroit (CNBC, TSN)
*-Wednesday, May 8, 10 p.m. - Detroit at Anaheim (TSN)
*-Friday, May 10, TBD - Anaheim at Detroit, (TSN)
*-Sunday, May 12, TBD - Detroit at Anaheim (TSN)

SERIES G - #3 Vancouver vs. #6 San Jose Networks

Wednesday, May 1, 10:30 p.m. - San Jose at Vancouver (TSN, NBC Sports Network)
Friday, May 3, 10 p.m. - San Jose at Vancouver (TSN, CNBC)
Sunday, May 5, 10 p.m. - Vancouver at San Jose (NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Tuesday, May 7, 10 p.m. - Vancouver at San Jose (CNBC, TSN)
*-Thursday, May 9, 10 p.m. - San Jose at Vancouver (TSN)
*-Saturday, May 11, TBD - Vancouver at San Jose (TSN)
*-Monday, May 13, TBD - San Jose at Vancouver (TSN)

SERIES H - #4 St. Louis vs. #5 Los Angeles

Tuesday, April 30, 8 p.m. - Los Angeles at St. Louis (CNBC, CBC)
Thursday, May 2, 9:30 p.m. - Los Angeles at St. Louis (CNBC, CBC)
Saturday, May 4, 10 p.m. - St. Louis at Los Angeles (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Monday, May 6, 10 p.m. - St. Louis at Los Angeles (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
*-Wednesday, May 8, TBD - Los Angeles at St. Louis (CBC)
*-Friday, May 10, TBD - St. Louis at Los Angeles (CBC)
*-Monday, May 13, TBD - Los Angeles at St. Louis (CBC)

* if necessary
TBD – To Be Determined