Stanley Cup Finals: Jake Guentzel opens up Game 3 scoring (Video)

It should come as no surprise that the scoring in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final was opened up by Jake Guentzel for the Penguins.

Water’s wet, the sun is hot, and Jake Guentzel scored for the Pittsburgh Penguins again in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Just a few minutes into Game 3 against the Nashville Predators on the road, Guentzel continued his dominance in this postseason as he broke open the scoring almost immediately for the Penguins.

Guentzel took advantage of a juicy rebound from Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, which seems to be becoming a trend in net for Nashville, and gave his Penguins a 1-0 lead as he went five-hole for the goal.

Guentzel’s goal was his 13th tally of this postseason alone, and according to ESPN Stats and Info, he’s one goal shy of the single-postseason rookie record. It took just 2:46 into Game 3 to get his 13th goal.

His 20 points in a postseason by a rookie is good enough for third in NHL history, and he’ll still have at least two games to add onto that total. The rookie has played a huge part in the Penguins’ postseason success, and, at 22 years old, he’s making a real case to become the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, or the playoff MVP, if Pittsburgh pulls this off.

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On the other end, Guentzel’s goal may play a big role in chasing Rinne out of the net for the Predators, as many suggested that the team make a change in net after Rinne’s poor performance through two games. Through the series’ first two games, Rinne gave up eight goals, and became just the fourth goalie in the league’s history to pull that off in the Stanley Cup finals.

Regardless of Rinne’s struggles, it’s tough to deny Guentzel’s place in the team’s success this postseason, and we’re only just getting started.