Jake Guentzel has become an elite playoff performer; only two players have scored more goals since 2016
Jake Guentzel always seems to find another gear when the playoffs roll around. Since entering the league in 2016-2017, he has consistently been a 20+ goal scorer in the regular season, eclipsing the 40 goal mark twice. He has given Crosby a stable winger that he had not had since Pascal Dupuis.
In the playoffs, Guentzel has become the Pens go-to guy since entering the league. So much so that compared to his 29 playoff goals from 2016/17 to this year, only Brayden Point (37) and Alex Ovechkin (30) have scored more in that time frame. He burst onto the scene during the Pens back to back cup runs putting up 13 and 10 goals over those playoffs. He and the Pens have struggled the past couple seasons being eliminated in the first round each of the last 3 years while he has only amassed 3 goals in 14 games. After 2 games in round 1 so far this year he has already matched that total.
Guentzel has been an underrated player since entering the league, but he is almost a point per game player. He's amassed 341 points in 375 regular season games and has an astounding 51 points in 53 playoff games, showing he has another level to his game when the playoffs start. In terms of even strength goals in his 6 appearances in the playoffs, no one has more and only MacKinnon has scored more at a per game basis. If the Pens want to go far in the playoffs, aside from Malkin and Crosby, the Pens offense counts on Guentzel the most.
