Jake Guentzel was almost insulted by the query.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins All-Star forward netted his first goal of the season — one that proved to be the winning score — at 5 minutes, 50 seconds of the third period in a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 14, it wasn’t simply a product of hard work or even dumb luck.
It was precision. Guentzel and teammates intended for him to find the back of the net on the sequence. After the game, he was asked how automatic that scenario was.
“We’ve run that play in the past,” Guentzel said emphatically. “A big faceoff win by (linemate Sidney Crosby). Great deception by (defenseman Kris Letang). Just try and get it on net. Fortunate it went in.”
Fortune was certainly a component of the sequence. After all, none of the Flames truly defended Guentzel. But above all else, the goal was a product of the Penguins skaters being on the same page.
Lining up for a faceoff in the Flames’ left circle, Crosby cleanly beat Flames center Elias Lindholm, one of the NHL’s sturdier defensive forwards, and swept the puck backward, causing it to bounce off the near wall.
Positioned along the boards, Letang settled the puck and surveyed the scene. As Letang held the puck, Guentzel, who lined up to the left of Crosby, cut across the slot and skated backward into the opposite circle.
With Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau evacuating the slot to defend Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves at the center point, Letang saw a passing lane open up and slipped the puck to the left circle before onrushing Flames rookie forward Matt Coronato could prevent him.
As Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov was slow in reacting to the sequence and made a vain effort to break up the pass with his 6-foot-5 frame, Guentzel swiped a one-timer past goaltender Jacob Markstrom’s left skate on the near side.
It was a play that was elaborate as it was effective.
And it was essentially Crosby who elected to run it.
“Most of the time, it’s the center,” Crosby said when explaining how the team runs certain designed sequences off faceoffs. “We have a lot of different plays that we try to run. It just depends on the setup and maybe something that you’ve seen prior.
“Sometimes, (Guentzel) just says he wants the puck. He just said, ‘Give me the puck’ and he scored.”
That said, the freedom to call for the puck is the product of ample preparation through on-ice practice as well as off-ice video sessions.
“We show these guys on film, we practice them throughout the course of the season,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “The players on the ice, they make the decision on what play they want to win. (Scouting reports) have something to it, how teams defend off of lost draws. Personnel groups, things like that. There’s a lot that weighs into which options may be more effective on certain nights than others.”
As far as the specific play Guentzel scored on, it’s not necessarily exclusive to him. The team’s other left wingers such as Reilly Smith, Drew O’Connor or Matt Nieto could be used in that fashion.
Of course, Guentzel is the only one of that group with a pair of 40-goal seasons on his resume.
“We can run it with anybody,” Letang said. “Obviously, the quality of the goal scorer will always improve your chance to make it work. Obviously, (Guentzel) proved that he can put the puck in the net. You can give your team a better chance if Jake is in that spot.”
Spotting those plays is easy. Especially since the Penguins run it fairly often.
Identifying them is another matter. The Penguins are covert as to how they label their plays.
“We have some names,” Crosby said with a smirk. “We’d have to change them all if we told you.”
