Looking ahead to Penguins-Avs

Some notes and quotes leading up to the Penguins’ game against Colorado Monday at 7:38 p.m. at Consol Energy Center, which both teams will enter at 7-1:

*** Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who has not played this season because of an apparent knee injury, says the determination on when he will be allowed to dress is out of his hands. “It’s not my decision, anyway,” he said. “It’s the doctors’. It’s all them.” Letang went through an optional practice Sunday, then stayed on the ice for extra work. It is not known if he has a chance to be in the lineup against the Avalanche.

*** Penguins center Sidney Crosby, San Jose’s Patrick Marleau and Jiri Hudler of Calgary are the only NHL players to record at least one point in each of their team’s games this season.

*** First-year Colorado coach Patrick Roy, on the factors behind his team’s surprisingly strong start: “We’ve had great goaltending. Both goalies (Semyon Varlamov and J-S Giguere) have been outstanding for us. Our defense has played some solid hockey for us and our forwards have been making a big commitment on back-checking.”

*** Crosby, on Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and, like Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia: “He’s doing really well. It’s nice to see. … He obviously skates really well. I don’t think you see too many young guys who can shoot the puck like he can in their first year. He’s got a great shot. He has all the tools. Really good hands. He works hard. He’s not afraid to go into traffic areas and create chances that way.”

*** Roy, on journeyman defenseman Nate Guenin, a Hopewell native who seems to have found a home in Colorado: “He’s been outstanding. I have just one word: Wow. He’s played really well on the (penalty-kill), blocking shots. He understands his role. … He forced us to put him in the lineup and put him in different kinds of situations, and he’s been responding really well.”

*** Penguins rookie defenseman Olli Maatta, on what will become of the puck with which he scored his first NHL goal Saturday: “It’s going to go in my room. Somewhere safe. I’ll probably keep it for myself. If they come to visit me, I’ll give it to (my parents) and they can take it back home to Finland.”

*** In something of a surprise, Roy named Giguere, not Varlamov, the starter against the Penguins because he wants to have Varlamov well-rested for home games against Carolina and Winnipeg next weekend. “(Giguere) has been really solid on the road,” Roy said. “There’s no need for us to overplay (Varlamov) at the beginning.”

*** Penguins right winger Chuck Kobasew, who spent the past two seasons with Colorado, said he is not surprised by the Avalanche’s excellent start. “Not really,” he said. “They’ve got some great players there, especially a lot of good, young forwards. And Varlamov and Giguere, that’s a good goaltending tandem.”

*** Injured Penguins winger Beau Bennett skated on his own this morning before his teammates practiced.

*** Guenin, on Roy’s coaching style: “When he says something, everybody’s listening. He’s traveled the road. He’s won the Cup four times. He’s a teacher. He’s a very, very smart guy and he’s passionate. You can see that in whatever he does. A lot of people see his intensity as a player. He’s intense as a coach, but he’s not a screamer. He talks to you. He’s direct and to the point, and he has a way of making guys believe in each other and believe in themselves.”

*** Roy, on similarities between the rebuilding blueprints of the Penguins and Colorado: “There are a lot of things that look alike, but at the same time, Pittsburgh had a chance to have a Crosby and a(n Evgeni) Malkin. I don’t want to downplay any of our players, but Crosby is in a class of his own right now. He’s been extremely dominant. Hopefully, we can grow as a team and an organization as well, and benefit from the quality of our draft picks.”