PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Mario Lemieux. Kevin Stevens. Jake Guentzel.
That trio holds a lofty position in Pens' postseason history as the only players ever to score four goals in a single playoff game for the organization (Lemieux posted five).
Guentzel joined the holy trinity following a four-goal, five-point effort in Pittsburgh's 8-5 First Round series clinching Game 6 victory against Philadelphia at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. Guentzel also joined Lemieux, Stevens and Ron Francis as the only players in franchise history to post five points in a single playoff game.
Guentzel has the game of his life
"It ranks at the top," Guentzel said of his game. "I don't think I've ever had a game like this where they're just going in like that."
The Pens trailed 4-2 to Flyers over halfway through the game before Guentzel recorded points on the next five Pens' goals to give Pittsburgh a 7-4 lead. Guentzel scored all four of his goals uninterrupted for his second career hat trick (April 16, 2017 vs. Columbus), and the final three came in a 12:28-minute span in the third period to cap off a remarkable comeback for the Pens.
"That was something special," goaltender Matt Murray said. "I've never seen anything like that. That's about as hot as you can get. Really fun to watch and a huge performance for us."
Guentzel has gained a reputation in his young career of being a clutch playoff performer. It began with his historic run as a rookie in the 2017 Stanley Cup championship for Pittsburgh.
Guentzel led the NHL with 13 goals and five game-winning goals in that 2017 postseason. His 13 goals are the second-most ever by a rookie in a single postseason, while his 21 points tied an NHL rookie record.
"He did such a great job last year in the playoffs and he's raised his game again to another level," captain Sidney Crosby said. "It's great to see him get rewarded. You don't ever expect to see someone put in four, but he was definitely on today and he had a great series."
While the goals will get a lot of recognition, as they should, Guentzel sparked the Pens when they needed it most. Philadelphia's Scott Laughton scored at the 12:14 mark of the second period to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead and all of the momentum.
It took just 81 seconds for Pittsburgh to respond. Crosby made a pass to Guentzel at the side of the net. Instead of shooting he lured Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth to the ice and made a cross-ice pass to Patric Hornqvist for a tap in.
With 54 seconds left in the middle frame Guentzel scored his first of four, re-directing an Olli Maatta wrist shot through Neuvirth to tie the game at 4-4.
"Whenever you can get a goal at the end of the period it gives you a little momentum going into the third period," Guentzel said. "Obviously it worked out well."
It didn't take long after the puck dropped for the third period for Guentzel to strike again. Thirty seconds to be exact. After Phil Kessel stole a puck from defenseman Ivan Provorov, he found Guentzel for a backdoor tap in to give the Pens a 5-4 lead.
Guentzel notched the natural hat trick at 12:48 with a nice snipe from the slot. That gave the Pens a two-goal cushion at 6-4.
"Just a big goal and you know you're going up two in the third," Guentzel said. "It was definitely a nice goal and definitely a good feeling to get that one."
Before he could catch his breath, Guentzel would record his fourth of the game. Off of the ensuing faceoff he broke to the net and poked in a pass from Hornqvist. The goal came 10 seconds after his third - the fastest two goals by a player in team playoff history - and sealed the series for the Pens, sending the sold out crowd of 19,861 retreating to the exits.
"You're just seeing the 2-on-1 go down and you're (thinking) no way this could happen," Guentzel said. "Once you see it in, you're in a blur at that point because the two came back-to-back like that.
"Whenever you can score a couple goals in a game it's special," he said. "But to do it on the road to silence the crowd definitely feels good."
Even Guentzel's head coach was left speechless by the performance.
"I don't know how to explain it. I just think Jake is a terrific player," Mike Sullivan said. "He's not a guy that jumps out at you with blazing speed or wows you with an overpowering shot. He's just a really smart player that finds the ice, the soft areas, which gives himself an opportunity to score. He just has that innate ability."
