CREDIT: Christian Petersen, Getty Images Sidney Crosby, seen attempting to make a play in front of Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro last week, has taken another step as team captain.

At the tail end of the Pittsburgh Penguins' practice on Tuesday, Sidney Crosby put on goaltender Marc-André Fleury's equipment and took some shots from his teammates.

Crosby, the Penguins' captain, wasn't sending a message to Fleury, who went into last night's game against the New Jersey Devils ranked 38th in the NHL in goals-against average (3.47) and 33rd in save percentage (.893).

And despite being the NHL's biggest on- and off-ice star -- he had a 19-game point-scoring streak snapped in yesterday's 2-1 loss -- Crosby doesn't really believe he can conquer the goaltending position.

"I think he's doing all right up front," Fleury quipped to Pittsburgh reporters.

Perhaps the episode is simply an example of Crosby acting his age, of finding a way to relax a squad that has struggled to start the season. It's easy to forget that he turns 21 next August.

"Well, we all know he's not exactly a normal 20-year-old," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The Penguins, who are playing the Senators at Scotiabank Place tonight for the first time since being eliminated by Ottawa in the playoffs last April, must be considered one of the NHL's biggest early season disappointments. After yesterday's loss, they were in 13th place in the East Conference.

Short of putting Crosby in net, the Penguins really can't ask for much more from their captain.

After being shut out in the season opener, Crosby has been on the scoresheet in every game since. Heading into last night's game, he had 11 goals and 19 assists, and sat tied with Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg for second in the NHL scoring race behind only Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier.

Crosby has 86 goals and 166 assists in the first 181 games of his career. In terms of points per game, only three players in NHL history (Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy) have a higher average. Only three (Gretzky, Lemieux and Bobby Orr) have registered more assists per game.

"He takes a lot on his own shoulders, he has always worked hard, practised hard and said the right things, but this is another step as captain," said Shero. "He's not worrying about himself, he's worrying about the team. When we're struggling, he has given a lot of himself to help the rest of the team. He has such a good demeanour and he knows when to pull back (from the attention). He's aware of the demands on his time and he's aware of the team demands, as well."

Respect comes from the opposition, too. Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who had his hands full trying to contain Crosby while serving as the Senators' coach last spring, says Crosby's maturity and competitiveness have always stood out.

"He has flair, style and the ability to make the big play," said Murray. "The NHL also benefits greatly from his willingness and ability to communicate with the media and the public."

The flip side to Crosby's brilliance, however, is that the Penguins may have been spoiled by too much success too fast, perhaps caught up in the expectations that Crosby could lead them to the top of the NHL overnight.

The Penguins may have surprised a few people by making the playoffs last season, but they were generally expected to be a contender for the conference title this time around.

Once the 2007-08 season started, however, they found that all those wins and goals that came so easily in the second half of last season were suddenly much more hard to come by.

The Penguins' longest winning streak is three games and the club started November with a four-game losing stretch.

Jordan Staal, who scored 29 goals and 42 points as a rookie last season, had one goal and one assist before last night's game.

Fleury hasn't made enough big saves at big times, prompting speculation that Shero is on the hunt for a more experienced netminder. Shero has denied the rumours.

"Whatever the expectations were for our young players and our team, we couldn't control those," said Shero. "Our focus has always been on improving as a club. We know we're in a much tougher division and conference (than last year). Our younger players are going to be better for the experience, in how they deal with the adversity. All hockey players need this. Our coaches need this. I need this. If you look at Ottawa last year, they went through some tough times, but it made them better."