"Unlike others returning to play their first game in a rink they called home for a significant chunk of their career, Sergei Gonchar isn't able to joke that he hopes he goes to the right dressing room for the morning skate.

In this case, he doesn't know where either of them are.

But Gonchar is sure to have a few laughs seeing his old friends with the Penguins before facing them Monday night in the fifth-ever game at the Consol Energy Center. Fourteen of them are still around from the 2008-09 Stanley Cup championship season that stands as the highlight of Gonchar's career.

"Obviously, it's going to be something special," the Senators defenceman said of his return to Pittsburgh — a city he reluctantly left last summer when the Penguins fell short of his contract demands — as he and his new mates look for their first road win of the season. "I've been with those guys for five years, won a Cup with them, so playing against them is going to be kind of tough and weird at the same time.

"When you play with them, you become good friends. It's going to be one of those games when you're confused a little bit at the beginning, and then, when the game starts, you get into it, adjust and everything is fine."

Gonchar, who should finish his career regarded as one of the best offensive defencemen ever, has not yet shown what he can do in that part of the game as a Senator. Through five games, he has just one assist. He also has only six shots on goal — a sin given how hard he can blast a puck.

"That happens sometimes when you come to a team, you don't want to come across as a selfish player," said coach Cory Clouston. "He's got a very good shot and sometimes we need him to use it more, which will open up other areas and other guys. If you're just always passing, it's fairly easy to focus on other guys."

Clouston has leaned on Gonchar hard thus far. Through Saturday's games, the 36-year old Russian had averaged 27:12 of ice time a night, making him the fourth-most worked player in the league. "