PITTSBURGH – Go out, make 40 saves in a shutout against a playoff-caliber team and not even get a whiff of the No. 1 star?

Notebook

Stops and starts… There were several stretches where the game went back and forth with little major action. Don't forget when evaluating the game's quality that both teams had played road games on Tuesday night. Lemieux was the freshest guy out there. … NHL commissioner Gary Bettman congratulated Lemieux after the game. Penguin ponderings… One thing is clear about the Penguins. They have tons of skill, but they really don't have an identifiable tough guy. Of course, Matthew Barnaby and Bob Boughner are no pushovers. But neither was in the lineup Wednesday, leaving Tie Domi to spend half a shift goading Jiri Slegr before Slegr's pride kicked in and he dropped the gloves with Domi. "I got a few in," Slegr said. "But he got me good once, and that was it." … Kip Miller and Alexei Morozov were dressed but didn't get one single shift in the game. Michal Rozsival didn't play until the third period. Because coach Ivan Hlinka likes to trot out five-man units, the bottom of the roster plays less on the Penguins than the player would on other teams. Falling Leafs… Leafs coach Pat Quinn was unhappy about how much room his team gave Lemieux. "We didn't rush him that much and take ice away," Quinn said. "So it was probably an easier game for him than he anticipated." … Toronto has now lost six of its last seven games. … Danny Markov was a minus-1, but he seemed to be the only Leaf player willing to get physical with Lemieux. – Brian A. Shactman

That's Garth Snow's lot on the night Mario Lemieux made his historic return to the NHL.

"That's the least of my worries," Snow said jokingly Wednesday night after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0, in Lemieux's post-retirement debut at Mellon Arena. "But it was a playoff atmosphere, and Mario elevated all of our games."

His teammates said that Snow, like everyone, was a little nervous. They also kidded that he had the help of a few posts early on – which he did. Snow couldn't deny he needed the assistance from the steel-pipe gods, but he would have none of that stuff about nerves. "I was pumped, not nervous," he said.

Snow snapped out of a funk in a big way. And on a big stage. But Snow said his play Wednesday night had as much to do with advice from an old goalie than from the adrenalin generated by Lemieux's return.

"EJ (Assistant GM Ed Johnston) had a talk with me a few games ago," Snow said. "He said I wasn't challenging shooters like I was earlier in the season when I was having more success.

"He was right on."

Johnston should know. Although he's not the team's goalie coach, he was an NHL goalie for 16 seasons and has two Stanley Cup rings to his credit.

Snow also is "right on" about not caring about the No. 1 star. He has plenty of other things to worry about.

Snow has struggled since signing with the Penguins early in the season after Jean-Sebastien Aubin was sidelined with an injury. But there are no regrets for Snow, who could have taken more money to either return to the Vancouver Canucks or play with the Boston Bruins.

Had he signed with either of those teams, Snow realizes he would not have been around to be part of Penguins' history.

"I'm just so happy for my decision to join this organization," Snow said as a smile melted from his face. The look on Snow's face meant he wasn't kidding. And his Penguins teammates aren't kidding either when they say they need a solid goalie as much as they need Mario Lemieux.

"Snowy did a great job," Ian Moran said. "He got some help from the posts, sure, but he was really on his angles. And that's exactly what we need."

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.