Penguins by the Numbers at the 10 Game Mark & Player Report Cards

The Penguins are 6-2-2 at the ten game mark and have emerged as one of the Eastern Conferences elite teams, despite starting the season without Sidney Crosby, Brooks Orpik missing the first eight games of the season and Evgeni Malkin only appearing in three games this season.

*6-2-2 record has Penguins tied for the most points in the NHL with 14.

*Rank 7th in the NHL, averaging 2.90 goals per game. Pittsburgh has scored 16 even strength goals, ranking 5th in NHL.

*The Penguins rank 8th in the NHL, giving up 2.10 goals against.

*Pittsburgh ranks 29th in the NHL, giving up 18 even strength goals. The second worst mark in the league

*Lead NHL with four 2-goal wins

*5-0-2 when scoring first | 1-2-0 when trailing first

*Power Play: 9-for-43, 20.9%, 8th in NHL. 2 Shorthanded Goals Against | 3-for-22, 13.6% at Home | 6-for-21, 28.6% on road

*Penalty Kill: 32-for-33, 97.0%, 1st in NHL, 3 Shorthanded Goals, 1st in NHL | 12-for-13, 92.3% at home | 20-for-20, 100.0% on road

James Neal - Grade: A-

Report Card: James Neal is tied for the league lead with 8 goals and for a franchise starving for a premier goal scorer on the wings, they may finally have one.

Neal is playing with the type of aggressiveness he played with as a member of the Dallas Stars and has been a force on a nightly basis and is scoring goal scorers goals, which has scouts buzzing about his goal potential.

What to watch for in the coming months is whether Neal can take that next step in his development and play with consistency over the longhaul, something he's lacked in his young career.

* 8 Goals, 1 assist, 9 Points in 10 Games Played

*8 Goals tied for NHL lead.

* 6 Even Strength Points

* 2 Power Play Goals, 1 Game Winning Goal

*39 Shots, 20.5 shooting percentage

Matt Cooke - Grade: B+

Report Card: The transformation of Matt Cooke's game has been for the better through ten games so far. With a focus away from laying out a big hit every shift, Cooke's ability as a player has been on display.

Cooke has 7 points and a +3 rating on the season and leads the team with 3 shorthanded points, playing a vital role on the leagues best penalty kill unit.

*3 Goals, 4 Assists, 7 Points in 10 Games

*1 Power Play Goal, 1 Shorthanded Goal, 3 Shorthanded Points

*+3 Rating tied for first among Pens Forwards

*2:53 ice time per game on penalty kill, tied for 2nd among forwards.

Jordan Staal - Grade: B+

Report Card: Jordan Staal has showed improvement in several key offensive areas, most notably his goal scoring and faceoff ability.

Collecting 38 points in his last 46 games, dating back to last season, Staal is averaging 0.83 points per game during that span. The big storyline moving forward is whether he can maintain this type of level that has him on pace for over 65 points.

*5 Goals, 3 Assists, 8 Points in 10 games

* 2 Power Play Goals, 3 Power Play Points

*FaceOffs: 86-79 (52.1%) | Even Strength: 64-50 (56.1%)

*20:51 Ice time per game, leads all forwards

*22 Hits, tied for first among forwards