Mike Sullivan has expressed on a number of occasions the belief that Jake Guentzel is underrated league-wide.
"With some of the other superstars in the league, I think he kind of flies under the radar," Sullivan said of Guentzel just last week. "He certainly doesn't in our locker room."
Sullivan's belief was perhaps best exemplified in mid-January, when Guentzel wasn't even named to the initial All-Star Game roster, but rather one of the "Last Man In" candidates, where the fans were able to vote for one last player for each division. The fans saw in Guentzel what the league somehow didn't, and made Guentzel an All-Star.
"He's quietly emerged as one of the superstars in the league," Sullivan said shortly after those results were announced. "I think the Pittsburgh fans understand how good a player Jake is and how he's evolved into an elite player in this league. I'm not sure the rest of the hockey world recognizes how good Jake really is."
Guentzel's making it awfully difficult to keep flying under the radar.
Guentzel scored his fifth career hat trick (and second of the season) in Thursday's 4-0 shutout of the Bruins at PPG Paints Arena, netting his 38th, 39th, and 40th goals of the season. It's the second time in Guentzel's career that he's hit the 40-goal plateau, after previously scoring 40 goals in the 2018-19 season.
"It's a cool number," Guentzel said of hitting the 40-goal mark. "You put a lot of time and effort into this game. Just to score goals in this league is pretty special. I'm fortunate to play alongside really good players and just have a good surrounding crew with coaches and teammates and staff. It's just a cool milestone, but we've got some hockey left here, and a lot of key points left."
Guentzel's first goal came in the first period, picking up a pass from Sidney Crosby, carrying it around Charlie Coyle and putting his shot under Jeremy Swayman's pads:
His second goal was set up by a beautiful Kris Letang feed:
Guentzel completed the hat trick with an empty-netter late in the game, a long-range shot from his own end
The sold-out crowd of 18,350 erupted for the last goal, No. 40 on the season for Guentzel.
"It's special," Guentzel said of the reaction. "Just the fan base is unique. They're always into the game. They're the best fans in hockey, and we love playing in front of them. It was definitely a cool moment, and one you just get chills just thinking about."
After the game, Sullivan again expressed the belief that Guentzel has "quietly emerged as one of the superstars in the league," and his development into an overall elite, 200-foot player.
"I think he's one of the best goal-scorers in the league, and he shows it year-in and year-out," Sullivan said. "I think it's a credit to his competitiveness. It's a credit to his talent level. It's a credit to how hard he works to keep his game at such a high level."
In the past Sullivan has used Guentzel as an example of a "tough" player. Not because he's going to lay out any opponents with a huge hit or physically intimidate anyone, but because of his ability to play though the physicality of opponents, going into the dirty areas to do whatever it takes to score. It's those qualities of Guentzel's game that Sullivan thinks has helped him achieve this latest milestone.
"He's just a great hockey player," Sullivan said of Guentzel. "He's ultra competitive. For a guy that's not physically imposing in any way -- he's just not overly big -- he plays the game really big. He goes to the hard areas where you pay a price to get opportunities to score, and he's undeterred. He's relentless in those areas."
The challenge is going to be continuing this play into the postseason.
Guentzel had no trouble producing during his first two NHL playoff runs. In his rookie 2016-17 season he produced at nearly a point-per-game pace, scoring 13 goals and eight assists in 25 games on the way to the Stanley Cup. He led the Penguins in scoring the following year, exploding for 10 goals and 11 assists through 12 games as the Penguins were knocked out by the Capitals in the second round.
Guentzel's success has dropped off in the last three playoff runs -- though, in his defense, so has just about everyone else's. He's scored one goal in each of the last three postseasons, combining for three goals and three assists in 14 games over those three years.
As Guentzel readies for his sixth playoff appearance, he's learned more about what it takes to find success in the postseason when it comes to scoring, and he's hoping to elevate his play come May when the playoffs begin.
"Every inch is hard in the playoffs," he said. "You've got to find those different areas, and you just don't have much time out there. You can score as much as you want in the regular season. But it's a whole 'nother game in the postseason."
If Guentzel can continue this play into the postseason, the rest of the hockey world won't let him fly under the radar any longer.