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Updated 11 minutes ago
Jake Guentzel remained on his skates on Saturday after he took a post-whistle punch to the face from St. Louis' Joel Edmundson, an impressive accomplishment considering the Penguins forward stood five inches shorter and weighed 40 pounds less than the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Blues defenseman.
“That kind of caught me off guard,” Guentzel said. “But it's all good.”
Guentzel's babyface and stature give Penguins fans a reason to fret about the 22-year-old rookie's well-being, particularly as he receives more minutes and becomes known as a scoring threat. But Guentzel welcomes the brutish behavior from opponents. He places considerable faith in his ability to turn those acts of hostility into drawn penalties.
“You just try to play your game with a competitive edge,” said Guentzel, who has five goals and four assists through 15 games. “If (a cheap shot) happens, you've just got to take it and obviously try to draw (a penalty from) him, make it hurt a little bit.”
Calgary defenseman T. J. Brodie went to the penalty box late in the first period Tuesday for a late and blatant cross-check on Guentzel. But the Penguins rookie brought trouble upon himself, as he, too, went to the box for holding Brodie's stick.
“There's a fine line between standing up for yourself and drawing a penalty by skating away,” Guentzel said. “You've got to be smart about it.”
Nick Bonino, who served as Guentzel's center in recent games, considers the left winger sufficiently confident and composed to deal with any trouble that might come his way.
“He's a tough kid,” Bonino said. “He doesn't need our help. If he needs us, he'll ask us. But we look out for him. A young guy coming up, usually those guys aren't given too much of a problem unless they're loud, and that's not him. He's a quiet, nice kid.”
Ache updates
Evgeni Malkin (lower-body injury) again wore a gray, no-contact jersey to distinguish himself from the other players at practice Wednesday, but coach Mike Sullivan said the center did engage in “limited contact,” a progression from recent practices.
“We're trying to slowly introduce him into the battles to make sure that we give him the best chance to recover the right way,” Sullivan said.
Malkin will travel with the Penguins to Colorado and Arizona this weekend, Sullivan said. Carl Hagelin did not join the team on Wednesday's flight west, but he might connect with the Penguins during the road trip.
Dads' trip
Penguin players' fathers joined the team on their two-game road trip, and for one forward, the opportunity represented a special perk in an already-memorable stretch of days.
“I've only been up for a little bit of time, and he's practically going to be up for the other half that I've been up,” said center Carter Rowney, who went pro in 2013 as an undrafted free agent with the AHL's Abbotsford Heat, made his NHL debut Jan. 31 and tallied his first point in the league Saturday. “I think he was kind of tickled pink and really excited about the timing of the trip and to be able to come and see what it's all about.”
Brian Rowney will meet the Penguins in Denver, Carter said. Once together, they'll marvel at the 27-year-old center's career that included four seasons at the University of North Dakota and three-plus seasons with the Penguins' minor league affiliates in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling.
Rowney said his father never played sports. Brian grew up on a farm and later worked in an oil field. But Rowney's parents never tried to talk him out of a hockey career.
“They were always supportive from Day 1,” Rowney said. “One of the conversations we always had was coming out of college, if I was going to go to Wheeling, I had to make sure I put my best foot forward and didn't take a day off. Don't go in 50 percent or 80 percent. It had to be 110 percent.”
Missed Kessel connection
Amanda Kessel, Phil's sister and a standout for the New York Riveters, will serve as prominent attraction at the NWHL All-Star events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
The NWHL's skills competition is 4 p.m. Saturday, and the All-Star game is at 3 p.m. Sunday.
That likely means Phil Kessel will miss seeing his sister in action, something he said he has not done in years.
“We get back late Sunday,” he said. “I don't think I can make it.”
Amanda Kessel will captain one team. Kelley Steadman, Robert Morris' director of hockey operations and a member of the Buffalo Beauts, will lead the other.
Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.
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