THE SIDELINES : Lemieux Expects Back Surgery

Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux says he probably will have surgery after the season to relieve chronic lower back pain.

Lemieux was to have practiced with a new brace Monday but sat in the stands because of back stiffness.

“As to whether it’s a career-threatening problem, we really don’t know yet,” said Paul Martha, Penguins general counsel and Civic Arena Corp. president. “Anytime you have a player--any player--injured or bothered by something, it’s a concern.”

There has been no firm diagnosis in Lemieux’s case. Preliminary indications are that the surgery could involve shaving a piece of the disk between Lemieux’s fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, just above the tail bone.

Lemieux expects to play against the New York Islanders tonight at the Civic Arena. He has scored in 42 straight games, which is nine shy of Wayne Gretzky’s 51-game record.