A few players that scored game-winning goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
On Jun. 11, 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed their fifth Stanley Cup Championship in the team’s history with a 2-0 victory over Nashville in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Four players scored multiple game-winning-goals (GWG) during the Pittsburgh Penguins siege to reach the Stanley Cup in 2017 and here is a look back at those players in part five of our series.
Phil Kessel
You would be hard-pressed to find a player in Penguins lore that is as much revered for his abilities, as he was criticized.
Kessel has appeared in 1066 regular-season games with Toronto, Pittsburgh, Boston, Arizona, and has scored 371 goals with 67 game-winning goals (GWG). In the postseason, Kessel has scored 33 goals in 87 games, with four GWG.
Kessel collected two of those GWG with Pittsburgh in 2017.
Kessel potted the GWG and added an assist in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series vs. Columbus and collected the only goal in the Penguins 1-0 win in Game 2 of the Conference Finals vs. Ottawa.
Bryan Rust
Rust was selected by the Penguins in the third round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and has proven to be quite the draft day steal.
Rust has scored 78 goals (13 GWG) in 308 regular-season games. since he made his NHL debut during the 2014-15 season. In the playoffs, Rust has scored 16 goals (four GWG) in 62 games.
Rust scored two of the biggest GWG for the Penguins in their 2017 Cup run.
With two goals (including the GWG) in Pittsburgh’s 5-2 victory in the series-clinching Game 5 of their first-round series
Rust’s second GWG of the playoffs might be the biggest of the playoffs, depending on what your feelings for the Washington Capitals are.
Rust scored the first of two Penguins goals (Patric Hornqvist scored the other) to help Pittsburgh vanquish the Capitals in seven games to reach the conference finals for a match up with Ottawa.
Justin Schultz
The acquisition of Schultz has proven to be one of general manager Jim Rutherford’s shrewdest moves. Rutherford picked up Schultz from Edmonton for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Schultz has played 482 regular-season games since 2012 with Edmonton and Pittsburgh and has scored 50 goals (nine GWG), In the playoffs, Schultz has played in 52 games and has scored six goals (two GWG both with the Penguins)
Schultz’s first GWG was scored on the powerplay in Pittsburgh’s 3-2 victory in Game 4 of their series against the Capitals.
Little did Schultz know that the goal he scored less than two minutes into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final would stand as the GWG, as Pittsburgh added five more goals and took the game 6-0.
Jake Guentzel
Guentzel has proven to be another draft day “surprise” for the Penguins since Rutherford and CO. selected him in the third round (77th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Guentzel has played 243 regular-season games and has scored 98 goals with 9 GWG since he joined the NHL in 2016.
So far Guentzel has amassed 24 goals (Seven GWG) in 41 playoff games and joined some exclusive company following his scoring tsunami in the 2017 playoffs.
With five GWG in the playoffs, Guentzel matched the Penguins franchise mark set by Mario Lemieux in 1989.
Guentzel scored the GWG in:
- Game 2 of the First Round vs. Columbus
- Game 3 of the First Round vs. Columbus
- Game 2 of the Second Round vs. Washington
- Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. Nashville
- Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. Nashville