"Center Jordan Staal will experience back-to-back games for the first time this season when the Penguins visit Montreal tonight. He won't be asking his coaches to pull the reins tight on his ice time.

"The more, the better," Staal said Wednesday before the Penguins played host to Tampa Bay. "When I'm on the bench, I want to be out there. So, no matter which way the coaches use me, I want to play."

Staal missed the first 39 games of the season because of successive foot and hand problems. He returned to practice six days before making his season debut Saturday against Washington in the outdoor Winter Classic at Heinz Field.

He played 14 minutes, 38 seconds in that 3-1 loss. Around that, maybe a minute or two more, is where coach Dan Bylsma would like Staal right now, although he is open to monitoring him and opting for more of a green light.

"Muscle-wise, exerting himself in a game and practice, he feels pretty good right now," Bylsma said. "Jordan is one of the guys who you can kind of see in the game how he's doing. There are other players who kind of mask it a little better, but Jordan's a guy who lets you know how he's feeling and where he's at."

One addition to Staal's game that might be permanent is a set of clear plastic guards he is wearing on his skates. It was a cut from a skate in the playoffs that led to surgeries and an infection, forcing him to miss the first 12 games of the season."