During training camp, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel said his goal for this season was to improve his consistency.
He’s accomplished that goal in a number of ways.
First, he hasn’t gone more than two consecutive games without recording a point. If he scores in the regular-season finale Saturday night against the New York Rangers, he’ll become the 20th player in franchise history to record a 40-goal season.
Second, he’s been in the lineup every night. He’s one of three players, along with Phil Kessel and Jack Johnson, on track to play in all 82 of the team’s games this season.
Coach Mike Sullivan said he thinks those types of consistency are related.
“Jake deserves a lot of credit for controlling all the things that go into the fitness level that he’s been able to develop,” Sullivan said. “A lot of it starts with his living habits off the ice, how he takes care of himself, how he watches his diet. He gets proper rest, he hydrates, and then he puts the work in, both on the ice and off the ice to be as fit as he can be. I think his fitness level has a lot to do with his consistency.”
Beyond the 82-game mark that Guentzel, Kessel and Johnson could hit Saturday night, defenseman Marcus Pettersson is on track to play his league-leading 84th game, 27 with Anaheim before a December trade and 57 with the Penguins since.
“When you look at how hard the game is and what you go through night-in and night-out, it really is a credit to their competitiveness, their mental toughness, their willingness to play through things,” Sullivan said. “Every player goes through bumps and bruises. There are nights where guys probably could say, ‘Hey, I can’t go tonight.’ These guys don’t. They continue to play because they want to play, they love the game, they’re competitive and they want to help our team win.”
