Mike Sullivan likes to point out every now and then that Jake Guentzel is a player who "flies under the radar."
"I don't think he does (fly under the radar) in Pittsburgh anymore," Sullivan observed on Sunday. "But I think he's a little under-appreciated in the hockey world."
Sullivan's belief was perhaps best exemplified last January, when Guentzel wasn't even named to the initial All-Star Game roster by the league. He was one of the "Last Man In" candidates, and the fans were able to vote among the candidates for one last player for each division. The fans saw in Guentzel what the league somehow didn't, and made Guentzel an All-Star.
Guentzel finished last season with 40 goals for the second time in his career. His 84 points in 76 games tied Sidney Crosby for the team lead, the first time since 2003-04's Dick Tarnstrom that a player other than Crosby or Evgeni Malkin led the team or tied for the lead in scoring.
Guentzel's goal-production was on pace for a 43-goal season in a full 82-game season last year. Hitting the 50-goal mark this year isn't out of the question.
Something that might give him that extra boost he needs to reach that milestone? His speed.
Guentzel, who had two points in the Penguins' 6-2 win over the Lightning on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, looks like he's added a step this season, and he's using it to his advantage.
It sure came in handy on the Penguins' opening goal late in the first period. Crosby and Guentzel got a 2-on-1 with Lightning defenseman Eric Cernak as the only man back. After flying down the right side of the ice, Guentzel had a beautiful feed to Crosby with a pass that sailed over Cernak and onto the stick of Crosby, who tucked it past the glove of Brian Elliott:
Guentzel used his speed to create an opportunity of his own in the second period. Rickard Rakell made a breakout pass to Guentzel, who started carrying the puck up ice while defended by Tampa's Philippe Myers. Guentzel outraced Myers and gave himself a clear shot at the net, but Elliott got a glove on the shot and deflected it away:
I asked Guentzel after the game if he thinks he's a step faster this season. He wasn't quite sure, but he didn't deny it.
"I mean, I feel good, I trained hard this summer," he said. "So I'll take it if you guys think that."
I asked Crosby the same question, and he acknowledged that it might be the case. But what sets Guentzel apart in Crosby's eyes is his mentality and what he's willing to do to create opportunities.
"Maybe," he said. "I mean he's always looked pretty quick to me, just being able to beat guys wide with speed and take it to the net. Some guys have the speed, but that takes a lot of guts to do that time after time to go hard to the net like that. And he does it. I think it's a combination of the speed and his mentality to take it to the net."
It sure makes it easier when Guentzel is adept at scoring from those areas and often rewarded for those efforts. Guentzel's goal Saturday came off of a set faceoff play that began with Guentzel taking the draw and ended with him going to the net. The play developed so quickly that he didn't exactly have to play through much physicality to get to the net front, and once he got there he scored the would-be game-winner with a redirect of a shot-pass from Kris Letang:
That willingness to go to the hard areas despite not being the biggest guy at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds is another attribute of Guentzel's that Sullivan often praises. Guentzel might not be the type of player that comes to mind when you think of "toughness," but Sullivan frequently notes that when a player like Guentzel is willing to play through physicality to get to areas like the net front, that's a form of toughness.
That mentality is what makes Guentzel special, but Sullivan said that he might have added a step over the summer as well.
"You know, he does have a jump in his step," Sullivan said. "I think his fitness level is as good as it's ever been. That's probably evident. Just his ability to sustain pace shift in and shift out has been really evident throughout the training camp, and in this early part of the season. He's just a terrific player. He's an elite player in this league. And in my mind, he's one of the best goal-scorers in the league."
Guentzel isn't someone that likes to think too much about milestones or specific individual goals, telling me early in training camp that he doesn't "really like to put numbers on anything or stats, I just kind of just play my game and if the goals are coming, they come."
Guentzel isn't putting too much thought into whether 50 goals is a real possibility this season -- but that doesn't mean that the rest of us can't. And after watching Guentzel play through this early part of the season, 50 goals certainly seems like a goal that's well within the realm of possibility.
