Remember earlier this season when Woodbury native Jake Guentzel hijacked Twitter for a night? He scored his first career goal with his first career shot on the first career shift with the Pittsburgh Penguins and finished the night with a pair of goals.
Well, that was child’s play compared to what the 22-year-old Guentzel did Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Guentzel netted a hat trick, including the overtime winner at 13:10 in a 5-4 victory, as the Penguins took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Blue Jackets in the East Conference quarterfinals. He currently leads the league with four postseason goals — one more than the Wild have managed in three games against the St. Louis Blues.
Guentzel, a Hill-Murray graduate, finished the regular season with 16 goals and 17 assists in 40 games, sticking for good at the NHL level after being called up from the minors in mid-January.
He typically plays on the first line for the Penguins alongside superstar Sidney Crosby and opposite Conor Sheary. His father, Mike Guentzel, is the associate head coach for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team.