The Pittsburgh Penguins could be getting much more out of their star.
Jake Guentzel is one of the most elite goal scorers in the NHL and has been for a few seasons. He is currently second on the Pittsburgh Penguins with 12 goals on the season, but are the Penguins utilizing him correctly?
The Penguins power play currently ranks 28th in the NHL with a 16% success rate through two months. The coaching staff has tried shuffling the personnel, most recently switching Rickard Rakell for Bryan Rust, but the top power-play unit continues to struggle.
Guentzel leads the Penguins in power-play goals this season with three, one goal per month so far. Since the departure of Patric Hornqvist in 2020, Guentzel has settled into the net front position for the Penguins top power-play unit.
After a rocky start in his first season at that spot, Guentzel has figured out how to navigate the blue paint to get himself into better scoring positions and stay on his feet while much larger opposing defensemen attempt to remove him from his spot on the ice.
Could there be a way for the Penguins to get more from Jake Guentzel while also finding a new way to kickstart their power play?
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