The Penguins had a pretty good feel for Noah Welch's game long before they promoted Friday him from their minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre.

Knew that he handles and shoots the puck well. That he is responsible and aware in his own zone. That he plays the body enthusiastically, effectively and often.

But in the Penguins' 6-5 loss to Montreal at Mellon Arena Sunday, Welch's bosses and teammates got an opportunity to see how he responds to adversity. And had to be as pleased by that as they were with anything he has done during his first two games in the NHL.

The Penguins were killing a penalty late in the second period when Welch, positioned at the front lip of the crease, picked off a centering pass by Canadiens winger Alex Kovalev. He planned to toss the puck into the corner, but instead whipped it past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

While that kind of gaffe could pulverize a rookie's confidence, Welch shrugged it off almost immediately and got the goal back less than two minutes of playing time later, as he scored his first in the NHL at 1:39 of the third.

"What are you going to do?" he said. "You can sit and mope and probably go out and probably have a bad third period, or you can laugh about it and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Coach Michel Therrien said he did not discuss the own-goal with Welch because "there's nothing to say" and that "the only reaction, from a coaching standpoint, is that you put him out there again, to show that you still have confidence in him."

Welch has given Therrien plenty of reason to feel that way, as evidenced by his statistics from the past two games: One goal, two assists, no penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of plus-3 in 28 minutes, 52 seconds of work.

Welch, summoned from the Baby Penguins on emergency recall after Eric Cairns was suspended for three games last week, figures to return to Wilkes-Barre after the Penguins face Florida at 7:38 p.m. tomorrow at Mellon Arena. Based on his performance to date, that should be his final trip to the minors.

"I've played in most situations, and felt fairly comfortable," Welch said. "I know there are definitely things to work on and I'll do that this summer, and the rest of this year."

Caron plays for now

It isn't clear how much work goalie Sebastien Caron will get in the Penguins' final 11 games, just as it remains to be seen precisely where he fits into the team's long-term plans.

Fleury obviously will be the Penguins' go-to goalie next season, which means Caron and Jocelyn Thibault will compete for the backup job.

With Thibault out for the season while recovering from hip surgery, Caron could grab an early advantage for 2006-07 if he plays well down the stretch. But he is not looking that far ahead just yet.

"I'll try to do my best, and next year, we'll see what's going to happen," he said. "But I can't control what's going to happen next year. I just try to play well right now."

Therrien on target

Ottawa coach Bryan Murray, whose team is among the favorites to claim the Stanley Cup, offered some unsolicited praise of the Penguins recently. He didn't suggest they're ready to make a run at a championship, but did say that the structure Therrien wanted to add to their play seems to be having an effect.

"Michel looks like he's got them playing much more systematic, defensively in particular," Murray said. "They're very much in position on the forecheck and in the neutral-zone defense. It looks like they're working real hard."

Slap shots

Penguins left winger John LeClair, who has gotten seven of his 17 goals in the past 14 games, needs one more for 400 in the NHL. ... The Penguins will play just four of their final 11 games at Mellon Arena. The first of those is against Florida, which has won 11 consecutive games against the Penguins.