Penguins React to Jake Guentzel’s Return
The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to face off against Jake Guentzel for the first time ever.
PITTSBURGH – For the first time in his career, Jake Guentzel will play a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Traded to the Carolina Hurricanes just prior to the NHL trade deadline, Guentzel was a staple of the Penguins’ lineup for eight seasons.
The Hurricanes have gone 6-1-1 in eight games with Guentzel in the lineup and are looking to extend that great pace against the Penguins.
Guentzel expects plenty of emotions when he returns to Pittsburgh. While he’s still close friends with many of his former teammates, they look forward to briefly being enemies.
“Definitely going to be weird seeing him across the ice,” Bryan Rust said. “He’s a guy I became really good friends with. Our families are close. For two and a half hours tonight, we’re not going to be friends. We’re going to be enemies.”
In his eight games with the Hurricanes, Guentzel has scored two goals and 10 assists for 12 total points. While no one on the Penguins is shocked by those stats, Rust does wonder where the passing came from.
“He thinks the game at such a high level, I’m not surprised he can mesh with pretty much anybody,” Rust said. “I didn’t know he was such a good passer! That must mean that I can’t score, or he decided to finally show it.”
Most of Guentzel’s time in Pittsburgh came with him sharing a line with the Penguins’ captain, Sidney Crosby. Those two formed a bond that won’t soon be replaced. It’s fair to say Guentzel is by far the best winger to ever play with Crosby. Crosby says the two have kept in touch and isn’t shocked by the surge Guentzel is having in Carolina.
“He’s got a really good hockey sense,” Crosby said. “He can adjust to whatever game you got to play.”
Head coach Mike Sullivan shared a similar stance as Crosby, noting just how flexible Guentzel can be on the ice.
“The point production that he’s accomplished since he’s been there, it doesn’t surprise me,” Sullivan said. “Jake’s the type of player that can play schematically on any team.”
The Hurricanes have become a genuine Stanley Cup contender with Guentzel in their lineup, while the Penguins are still grasping for a spot in the playoff race. The Penguins will have their hands full not only because of the Hurricanes but also because of their former teammate, who will likely have an extra jolt in his return to Pittsburgh.
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