"Penguins center Joe Vitale maintains a particular perspective when it comes to his place in the NHL.

"There's a lot of skill, a lot of talent in this league," he said Friday after practice at Southpointe. "God hasn't given me the most talent as far as that goes, so I feel like I have to work harder to kind of keep up and stand out a little bit.

"It's been a good mentality so far. I've got a lot of work ahead of me."

The Penguins have rewarded Vitale with a two-year contract extension, through the 2013-14 season. It's a one-way deal with a salary cap-hit of $550,000 per season. He is making $512,500 this season.

Vitale, a third- or fourth-liner, has three goals, 10 points in 44 games. Although his playing time averages a little more than 11 minutes a game, and he has been a healthy scratch here and there, he's noticeable because of his speed, tenacity and physical play."