"Hours before his first goal of the NHL season, veteran Penguins winger Bill Guerin made a point to crack jokes with several reporters.

After any other game-day skate, this act would have not drawn notice. However, this session wrapped about 14 hours after the Penguins failed to score a goal at home against the Phoenix Coyotes - a franchise never confused for a traditional league power.

The nature of that loss disgusted Guerin as much as any teammate, but ...

"It's one loss," he said to reporters, grinning slyly as those words left his lips. "So, I guess going undefeated is out. What will we do now?"

Penguins winger Jordan Staal shook his head and offered: "That's Billy for you ... but we're lucky to have him because every team needs somebody that keeps things in perspective like he does."

Maintaining perspective didn't give the Penguins a 5-4 victory Thursday night against the Flyers, and it won't push them to a win at Toronto tonight in the second of a four-game road trip.

Goals from players such as Guerin and Staal, big saves from Marc-Andre Fleury and considerably fewer penalties than they've amassed the past two games (22) is a recipe for early-season momentum.

Still, as general manager Ray Shero noted, Guerin's good-natured personality is as much a weapon for this club as is that right-handed whip shot he used to best Flyers goalie Ray Emery Thursday night.

"Especially if things aren't going great, it's easy to get down," Shero said. "It's a long year, and with Billy's experience and his, uh, eccentric behavior at times - it's a great thing for our young players to see."

The intensity of nucleus players - specifically captain Sidney Crosby, Staal and defenseman Brooks Orpik - is a treasured commodity for the Penguins.

But Shero is equally pleased that center Evgeni Malkin possesses a comic's timing with one-liners, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury smiles wide during even the worst of times and enforcer Eric Godard was voted Players' Player last season because he never allows a moment to pass without enjoying it.

"The idea is that this is a game," Shero said. "It's easy for everybody to forget, and that gets you into trouble.""