Jake Guentzel is in uncharted territory in his brief NHL career.
Since entering the NHL, when he scored two goals in his debut, including one on his first shot, everything seems to have come easy for him. Last spring he even led all scorers with 13 goals in 25 playoff games.
This season has been a bit of a struggle, though as he has just 16 goals in 57 games. Tonight he will likely find himself skating on a fourth line against Ottawa. Even with Patric Hornqvist out of the lineup with a lower body injury, he may not even see time on the Penguins’ top-ranked power play in favor of rookie Zach Aston-Reese.
But Mike Sullivan, who has been Guentzel’s staunchest supporter, says the team is still very high on the 23-year-old.
“I think it’s important to get Jake going again,” Sullivan said. “He’s a real good player and an important player on this team and has been for a long time.”
Sullivan has tried to place Guentzel at wing, his preferred spot, and placed him on the top line with Sidney Crosby and on the No. 1 power play, but all to little or no avail.
To get back in good graces, it sounds as though the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Guentzel will have to be tougher to play against.
“The things we’ve talked to Jake about recently is being stiff on the puck and the puck battles,” Sullivan said. “He’s one of those guys who has the ability to protect the puck down low, create separation and then make plays. And that’s one of the reasons why he’s had success with Sid in particular. That aspect of his game is an area where we’re trying to hype his awareness and being little stiffer on the puck, using his skill-set to create that separation and protect the puck. We knows he’s capable to create offense off it.”