Jake Guentzel brings a lot to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the team is in need of a quick return.
The injury bug that constantly surrounds the Pittsburgh Penguins took a bit of the lineup early in the 2022-23 season.
Depth center Teddy Blueger is yet to play a game with the Penguins and Jake Guentzel has missed a pair of games with an upper-body injury.
Both Blueger and Guentzel do not have an exact time table for return; but since his move to long term injured reserve, Blueger will not be able to return until November 5 at the earliest.
Guentzel, however, is a huge loss for the Penguins and it’s not just in the goal scoring department.
It does have to be mentioned, though, that Guentzel has a real chance at reaching new highs in goal scoring during the season and was off to a torrid pace.
In his first four games of the year, Guentzel scored three goals; all three of which were timely enough to be credited as game winners.
Sure, the Penguins scored six goals in each of those games, but being able to score timely goals is so important and growing as a clutch player.
Guentzel’s linemate, Sidney Crosby discussed that he isn’t an easy player to replace in the lineup, but he also talked about how he’s grown as a player.
“I think he just continues to get better,” Crosby said. “He finds different ways. Whether it’s scoring from the net front, using his shot, using his speed. He plays hard every night.”
With Guentzel down, Danton Heinen slotted in to take the spot on the top line; the move looked good in the first game but it’s not a sustainable option.
That was pretty clear when Heinen was yanked from the first line in the middle of the game in Edmonton.
Guentzel brings not just his goal scoring ability, but a sense of consistency alongside Crosby.
Both Crosby and Guentzel are great players in their own right, but they are even better when they share ice.
“For a guy who’s not the biggest guy, he competes really hard,” Crosby said. “He’s got a knack for finding the back of the net.”
The Penguins are missing more than just goals without Guentzel in the lineup, and can hopefully have him back sooner rather than later.
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