Jake Guentzel Eyeing Rookie Playoff Goals Record in Game 4

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel is on the verge of tying the NHL record for the most playoff goals by a rookie. He has tallied 13 goals thus far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, sitting one behind former Minnesota North Star Dino Ciccarelli, who scored 14 in the 1981 postseason, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Guentzel has taken his game to another level in the Stanley Cup Final, recording four goals over the first three contests of the series. Only Evgeni Malkin (26) and Sidney Crosby (23) own more points this postseason than Guentzel's 20, but nobody has scored more goals.

Pittsburgh took the first two games of the series pretty easily with a 5-3 win in Game 1 and a 4-1 win in Game 2 but had the tables turned on them with a 5-1 loss in Game 3 as the series shifted to Nashville. That didn't stop Guentzel from tallying the club's only goal of the contest.

After leaving college following his junior season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Guentzel posted six points in 11 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL at the end of last season and another 14 in the team's 10 playoff contests. He followed that with a spectacular start to the 2016-17 campaign that earned him a promotion and his NHL debut on November 21. The 22-year-old tallied two goals in that contest against the New York Rangers and finished the regular season with 33 points in 40 games.

If the Penguins manage to lift Lord Stanley's Cup this season, Guentzel should receive consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy—the award given to the playoff's most valuable player.