Noel Acciari's block of an Ilya Mikheyev shot attempt in the second period of Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks was his 100th blocked shot of the season, only the second time in his career he's hit the 100-block milestone after blocking 103 shots with Florida in the 2019-20 season.

"I'm just trying to help," Acciari told me of the achievement. "Be good defensively, get in shot lanes and help out the goalies. It's a good number."

Acciari is now the Penguins' franchise leader in shots blocked in a single season by a forward, surpassing Nick Bonino's mark of 99 in the 2016-17 season. The NHL only started tracking blocked shots in 2005.

Acciari always looks like he's dealing with something. He wears braces on both knees. It's a common sight to see him hobbling around outside the Penguins' locker room after a game, with ice bags taped up around a few limbs after diving in front of a few heavy shots.

I asked him how it feels blocking 100 shots. Not the milestone -- how it feels physically.

"Oh, I definitely feel them," he said. "But I feel good. A couple of them last year got me in spots where it held me out sometimes. But this year, they hurt but not enough to keep me out."

With four games to go, Acciari has some time to make a little more history. His 103 blocks in 2019-20 are the fourth-most by any forward since the league started tracking the stat. Alex Tuch and Ryan Johnson are tied for second at 105, and Mathieu Dandenault holds the single-season record with 111. At the rate he lays out in front of pucks, he'll almost surely move into second all-time, perhaps even first.

I asked Mike Sullivan if he remembers a forward who is as able and willing to block shots the way Acciari is, and he didn't need long to think.

"I don't know a player who is willing to block as many shots as Cookie does," Sullivan said. "He puts himself in harms way and pays a price to try to help us win. He's a courageous guy."