Penguins forward Jake Guentzel returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime exhibition loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena after being sidelined for the better part of a half a year.
Following a severe right shoulder injury he suffered Dec. 30, it was assumed Guentzel would likely miss the remainder of the Penguins’ 2019-20 season. But when the NHL went on hiatus in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, Guentzel was afforded a chance to recuperate and participate in his team’s postseason, which will formally open Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Primarily used on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary, Guentzel logged 18:45 of ice time on 23 shifts and recorded the primary assist on the first goal of the game by Sheary 5:06 into regulation.
Taking a cross-ice stretch pass from rookie defenseman John Marino, Guentzel gained the offensive zone on the left then fed the puck to the right circle, where Sheary was able to lift a wrister over goaltender Carter Hart’s glove hand on the near side.
“I thought it was a good first game for Jake,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “An exhibition game in this environment is very different than an intrasquad game that you have amongst yourselves. The intensity level is heightened even more. The fact that Jake hasn’t played in a real hockey game in six months, when you take all those things into consideration, I thought he played extremely well. He’s only going to get better as he gets more comfortable and he gets his timing and all the subtleties that are so important to his game. With each game that he plays, we think he’ll improve and get better.
“He makes a terrific play on Conor Sheary’s goal. That just shows what he’s capable of. Overall, for his first game back, I thought he did a pretty good job.”
Standing together
Prior to the game, during the United States and Canadian national anthems, players from both teams stood together on each blue line for what was termed as a stand “against social injustice, racism, and hate.”
Unlike Major League Baseball, which has had signage in support of the Black Lives Matter initiative, the NHL’s message appeared to be less specific in its aim based on what was visible on a television broadcast.
“A lot has happened since we last played our last game,” Crosby said in regards to the social unrest which has taken place in the United States the past handful of months. “We felt both teams, that was important to show unity, given what’s gone on and just wanted to be part of the solution moving forward. That was kind of the thought behind it.”
Dumoulin stung
There was an anxious moment at 10:25 of the second period when, during a Flyers power-play opportunity, Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin was hobbled after blocking a slap shot by Flyers forward Jakob Voracek in the Penguins’ right circle. Dumoulin was in clear discomfort and even fell to the ice for several moments but was able to finish his shift.
After missing a shift or two, he returned to the game.
“It was just a stinger in front of the net,” Dumoulin said. “It’s a tough place to get it, in the foot. But it was just a stinger. I was able to come back out and play and still contribute and continue the rest of the game. But I felt fine after that.”
