By the numbers

Penguins winger Jake Guentzel ranks sixth among NHL rookies in even-strength points per 60 minutes of ice time. (Minimum 200 minutes)

1. Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers 2.74

2. Mitch Marner, Leafs 2.51

3. Anthony Mantha, Red Wings 2.50

4. Auston Matthews, Leafs 2.38

5. Patrik Laine, Jets 2.33

6. Jake Guentzel, Penguins 2.21

7. Matthew Tkachuk, Flames 2.14

8. Ryan Hartman, Blackhawks 2.05

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Updated less than a minute ago

Slogging through a stretch of five games in eight days, the Penguins haven't had much of a chance to practice lately. So when ice was available, rookie Jake Guentzel knew he needed to make the most of it.

At the beginning of a skate last week in Cranberry, before most of his teammates left the locker room, Guentzel parked himself near the top of the crease, stick on the ice. As assistant coach Rick Tocchet fired puck after puck toward him from the corner, Guentzel worked on shoveling, deflecting or otherwise steering pucks into the cage.

Guentzel's rationale for the extra work was simple. If he is going to play on the team's top line with Sidney Crosby, he has to be ready to make quick-reaction plays around the net.

“When you're playing with him, you have to be prepared. That's what's going to happen,” Guentzel said. “You go to the front of the net and try to get low and try to get those rebounds. You have to be ready for it.”

In general, Guentzel has been ready for his NHL debut this season.

He burst onto the scene with two goals in his first game and has put up solid offensive numbers ever since. He has six goals and five assists in 20 games, ranking 10th among NHL rookies in points per game.

He has done so playing almost exclusively among the team's top six forwards, first skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin, then Crosby once Conor Sheary went down with an upper-body injury.

“He's smart. He's got great speed. He's not a big guy, but he gets in there and creates loose pucks and wins battles,” Crosby said. “It's good to see that he's playing with confidence and making plays out there. He's just going to continue to get better.”

While Mike Sullivan agrees with Crosby's assessment of his young linemate, there's one other attribute the coach has noticed. He's been able to fill a high-profile role without buckling, even though he's a 22-year-old about 10 months removed from his final college season at Nebraska-Omaha.

“You know, it's not an easy thing for a young player to play with a player of Crosby's stature or Malkin's stature because there's pressure. There's pressure to produce and perform,” Sullivan said. “Not everyone can handle those situations as young players. I think Jake is one that has shown he has no problem with it. He has a quiet confidence about him.”

At times, though, Guentzel's confidence has been tested.

In the big picture, he hasn't spent as much time in the offensive zone as he would like. When he's been on the ice at even strength this season, the Penguins have given up more shot attempts than they've taken.

In the small picture, it was Guentzel's defensive-zone turnover that led to a critical third-period goal by Tomas Tatar in Detroit's 5-2 victory over the Penguins on Sunday afternoon.

He has to be a reliable player, no matter how many offensive plays he makes, and Guentzel knows that.

“At this level right now, it's not all about points,” he said. “You have to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

As the pressure gets ramped up the later the season goes, there's no reason to believe Guentzel's role will diminish. The Penguins are counting on him to smooth out the rough edges and continue to make an impact.

Associate general manager Jason Botterill said he thinks Guentzel is up to the task, and he had a concrete reason for his optimism.

In the first 16 years Nebraska-Omaha had an NCAA Division I hockey team, the school made the NCAA tournament just twice and lost in the first round both times. In Guentzel's sophomore year, they went to the Frozen Four.

“He steps up in big games,” Botterill said. “You talk about the skill level to get to the National Hockey League level, but you also want that drive to win and the ability to succeed in pressure situations. He's certainly done that.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.

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