The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off a thrilling, albeit unexpected win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions on Tuesday, besting the back-to-back top dogs by a score of 6-2.
Perhaps the most shocking detail about this big time road win is that the Pens were able to do it without
Evgeni Malkin,
Sidney Crosby and
Jake Guentzel in the lineup.
Both Crosby and Malkin are still recovering from offseason surgery, but Guentzel was a participant in training camp prior to contract COVID-19, which forced him out of the Pens' season opener.
On Thursday, Daily Faceoff reported that the 27-year-old sniper had returned to practice on Wednesday after being clearing COVID-19 protocol and could be an option for the Pens on Thursday night in Sunrise, Florida.
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Guentzel will be a game time decision, but if he does suit up, he projects to slot in on the top line, alongside center
Jeff Carter and winger
Bryan Rust and resume his usual power play duties on the top unit.
Guentzel appeared in all 56 games for the Pens last season, tallying 23 goals and 57 points. Obviously, having a player of his caliber back in the lineup against a very dangerous Florida Panthers team on Thursday would be a huge boost for Pens head coach Mike Sullivan.
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