VANCOUVER, B.C. – What did the fine people of Canada do to Jake Guentzel?
Another question: Are they letting him back over the border later this month?
Guentzel continued to torment Canadian hockey clubs on Saturday with his fourth career hat trick and a four-point night as the Penguins beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-1, at Rogers Arena. The victory snapped their three-game losing streak.
Guentzel arrived in Vancouver with an NHL-best 11-game point streak, including a goal in each of the first two games on this road trip. After pouring in three more in Saturday’s win, he now has at least one in his past six games in Canada.
Overall, Guentzel has 10 goals in his past 11 games. His teammates have 18.
The struggling Penguins are going to need some goals from other guys at some point. But on Saturday, they had Guentzel. And that was more than enough.
The first period was tightly checked by both teams. The best chance in the period went to Guentzel, who was sprung on a 2-on-1 by a clever between-the-legs pass by Evan Rodrigues. But he couldn’t tuck the puck behind Thatcher Demko.
The winger would get one early in the second. Then another. Then another.
The first of his three second-period goals showed just what kind of heater Guentzel is on right now. After Brian Dumoulin’s shot from the point hit a body in front and the puck bounced Guentzel’s way, he just let it rip from the right circle. It hit the skate of Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and went in.
Vancouver’s Vasily Podkolzin tied the score at 1-1, but the Penguins buried a pair of power-play goals after the Canucks took three penalties in 51 seconds.
Guentzel fired a one-timer past Demko after Sidney Crosby won an offensive-zone faceoff. Then 70 seconds later and with the Penguins still on a 5-on-3 power play, Guentzel swooped in on the left flank and snapped a shot past Demko’s blocker.
Jeff Carter, who got his 400th career goal this season, couldn’t help but laugh and flash a gap-toothed grin as the Penguins celebrated another Guentzel goal.
A few of the many Penguins fans in the house here in Vancouver Frisbeed their hats onto the ice after Guentzel got the natural hat trick, making it 3-1. It was the first hat trick by a Penguins player in Vancouver since Mario Lemieux in 1987.
The Penguins dominated that whole period, outshooting the Canucks, 22-5.
In the first minute of the third, the Canucks burst in on an odd-man rush. But goalie Tristan Jarry shuffled across his crease to Rob Podkolzin, keeping it a two-goal game.
The Penguins gave a third consecutive start to Jarry, who was playing back in his hometown for the first time. Entering Saturday, the former Canucks season ticketholder had a .964 save percentage in his last seven starts, winning five.
Crosby made it 4-1 in the third, with Guentzel picking up an assist.
The Penguins had lost three straight games entering Saturday, including losses in Calgary and Edmonton to open this road trip. They scored just three goals in those last two, prompting Mike Sullivan to shake up his lineup in Vancouver.
Sullivan moved Kasperi Kapanen off of Carter’s line and he instead played with the defensive-minded duo of Teddy Blueger and Brock McGinn. Danton Heinen, who like Jarry also hails from B.C., got bumped up into his old spot on the second line. And Drew O’Connor got a sweater over Brian Boyle and Sam Lafferty.
After unveiling the new lineup during Friday’s practice at Rogers Arena, Sullivan said he wanted to see Kapanen use his speed to impact play all over the ice, not just to hunt odd-man rushes. The winger seemed to receive that message.
His effort was evident on his first shift of the night and it carried throughout the game. He put three shots on goal and helped draw a penalty in the second period that set the stage for the first of those two game-changing power-play goals.
Speaking of special teams, the Penguins were once again perfect on their penalty kill, going 3-for-3. They have killed off 25 straight penalties over 10 games.
The Penguins will conclude their four-game road trip Monday with their first game in Seattle, against Brandon Tanev, Jared McCann and the Kraken.
