Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mary Clarke

Penguins Jake Guentzel scored an absurd goal after kicking the puck to himself, but it probably shouldn’t have counted

Jake Guentzel just put together one of the more incredible hockey goals you’ll ever see.

During Game 7 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, Guentzel put the away team on top 2-1 after this absolutely absurd goal. With the Penguins on the power play, Guentzel found space all alone right in front to receive a pass, which he then kicked from his skate up in the air before batting it down into the Rangers net past Igor Shesterkin.

It was a hell of an athletic feat, to juggle the puck with precise hand-eye coordination in the way Guentzel did here for a mind-blowing goal. And yet, the goal wasn’t without controversy as it went to review after Guentzel possibly batted the puck in with his stick above the crossbar.

After review, however, the officials stated that the goal was good for the 2-1 Penguins lead.

I get why the referees made the call they did, as it’s so hard to tell definitively with all the angles shown that Guentzel’s stick was above the crossbar. The NHL themselves issued a statement that video review even confirmed that his stick “was at or below the height of the crossbar” when he deflected the puck into the net.

And yet, it’s so hard not to look at this angle and wonder if the right call was made.

Still, the Rule of Cool won out and at the end of the day, Guentzel’s goal counted!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.