Guentzel's four goals, Hornqvist's fire complement captain

PHILADELPHIA — This is a story about the Penguins’ remarkable 8-5 victory Sunday afternoon, their first line in particular. And, honestly, it has only a little to do with Sidney Crosby.

It’s about resilience and, to what Mike Sullivan likes to call, "sticktoitiveness."

That, in two words, would be the embodiment of Crosby’s far less famous linemates in Game 6: Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist.

For full disclosure, Guentzel and Horqnvist are absolutely nothing like one another personally, save for the color of their blond hair. Hornqvist is a muscle-bound, 30-year-old Swede, a father and a husband, whose intensity and demeanor on the ice resembles Saskatoon far more than Stockholm. Guentzel looks more like a southern California surfer dude but is actually a rink rat from the Twin Cities. He is 23 and looks and talks every bit his age.

On the ice is a different matter. There, Guentzel really isn’t all that different from Hornqvist in style or substance.

“He’s super-quiet, with a lot of skills,” the gregarious Hornqvist was saying. “He loves to work on his game. The way he works every single day, that’s why he is where he is.”

But there’s a maturity and a toughness to Guentzel’s game that belies his smallish size and age. Being the son of a hockey coach helps, of course, but there is far, far more to it than that.

“He’s got real good hockey sense,” Mike Sullivan was saying. “He’s not a guy that jumps out at you with blazing speed or wows you with an overpowering shot. He's just one of those guys who’s just a real smart player that finds the ice, the soft areas, which gives himself an opportunity to score."

Guentzel was a proven playoff performer before Game 6, leading the NHL with 13 playoff goals a year ago. Sunday's game wasn't even his first postseason hat trick. Quite memorably, he did that last April 16 in Game 3 of the first round at Columbus where he finished off the trick in overtime.

"I just think he’s one of those guys that has it," Sullivan said. "He just has the ability to play his best when the stakes are the highest and we've got a number of guys on this team (that do) and that’s why they’ve been able to accomplish what they’ve been able to accomplish. They tend to embrace adversity, they embrace the struggle."

But four goals? No one expected four straight goals in a game, let alone a playoff game, let alone a series-clinching playoff game. But Guentzel did just that Sunday afternoon against the Flyers.

“I don’t think four is the kind of opportunity that comes very often," Guentzel said. "It came right back-to-back and it felt good.”

I bet. Seriously, look at this montage:

Guentzel’s four-goal game, the 35th in Stanley Cup playoff history, requires some context, a historical perspective:

But so, too, does the Penguins’ win. By beating Philadelphia — always an enjoyable experience, to be sure — they won a ninth straight playoff series, matching the streak of Mario Lemieux, et al, from 1991-93. It also matches the streaks of Wayne Gretzky's Oilers from 1984-86 and Steve Yzerman's Red Wings from 1997-99.

In the NHL's 101-year history there are just three teams that have won 10 or more playoff series in a row: The Canadiens of Rocket Richard from 1956-60, who won 10; the Guy LaFleur-led Habs, who won won 13 in a row between 1976 and '80; and of course, the standard-bearers are the Islanders of Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin, who won a preposterous 19 in a row from 1980-84.

Those are the Islanders teams that these Penguins are chasing in their quest to become the first team to three-peat as Stanley Cup champs in 36 years. The Penguins merely took the first step toward that goal Sunday, and they did it the way great teams do.  Now, great is not a term used loosely here, but when you’re keeping company with the aforementioned clubs, it kind of applies.

The Penguins simply overwhelmed the Flyers. Guentzel and Hornqvist simply overwhelmed the Flyers. Missing Evgeni Malkin? No problem. Missing Carl Hagelin? No problem. Down two goals in the second period? No problem. 

Do not underestimate Hornqvist's role in this series clincher either. He was returning to the lineup after missing the last two games with an upper body injury. He provided his teammates with an emotional lift, Sullivan told me:

In the second period, Hornqvist's turnover led to Sean Couturier’s not-quite shorthanded goal :40 into the second period, giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead and the very real possibility of a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

Hornqvist said he wanted to make amends for his mistake and he didn’t need long. Trailing 4-2 at 13:35 of the second, Hornqvist converted from the right side of the net on a partial 2-on-1 with Guentzel, who showed he can do more than put the puck in the net. Guentzel froze Michal Neuvirth with a deke and then slid the puck between Radko Gudas' skates over to Hornqvist for an easy tap-in:

As Hornqvist told me, there's no such thing as a safe lead on the Penguins, even when they're missing their leading scorer:

After Hornqvist's goal brought the Penguins to within one, Guentzel pulled them even with just :54 remaining in the second period with his first goal, a deflection of Olli Maatta's point shot.

"Between second and third, we just had a good feeling in the room that we were going to do it," Hornqvist said. "Took over the game in the third and won the series."

Well, more specifically, Guentzel took over the game. He provided the Penguins with a performance for the ages, joining Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens as the only players in franchise history to score four or more goals in a playoff game. He scored goals Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in the opening eight minutes of the third, the final two just 10 seconds apart.

On his HT plus-one, Guentzel traded places with Hornqvist on a 2-on-1. This time, it was Hornqvist who froze Neuvirth -- and Andrew MacDonald -- and found Guentzel driving to the net at 12:58 of the third:

Four goals, all different, from different areas of the ice, and though none qualified as highlight-reel material, they were all a case of right place, right time. Goal scorers just find ways to put themselves in those positions.

"He always plays his best when the game's on the line," Hornqvist said. "He’s been through a lot this year. He’s always had a great response when things don’t go his way. And now in playoffs, everything is on the line. He raises his game."

Guentzel set the bar so high for himself last year even before his playoff heroics, scoring 16 goals in 40 regular season games, that 22 goals in 82 games in 2017-18 seemed somewhat underwhelming. His sophomore season was marked by inconsistent production, but the effort was always the same.

Surprised by Guentzel? Not Crosby, who would know better than most. 

"I don’t want to say I am, but he did such a great job last year in the playoffs but he’s raised his game to another level and it’s more than just scoring, he’s making plays, he’s hard on pucks, he’s doing a lot of little things, too," said the captain, whose line combined for 11 points. 

With Malkin out Sunday, the Penguins needed a hero and Guentzel, as he seems to do this time of year, fit the bill.

“You just get excitement, nerves," said Guentzel, who has six goals in six games this spring. "This is when you want to play.”

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY