PITTSBURGH (AP) The guy that scored the winner in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final doesn’t even have a locker in the Nashville Predators’ dressing room.
The 22-year-old who leads the NHL in playoff goals and is a legit contender for the Conn Smythe trophy watched the Pittsburgh Penguins lift the Stanley Cup last spring on TV as a minor leaguer just getting his feet wet as a pro.
Sure, technically Frederick Gaudreau and Jake Guentzel are rookies. Neither is playing like one.
Maybe that’s because by June, the NHL’s sprawling season is in its ninth month and the bubble that surrounds each club during the journey deep into the playoffs insulates players from the outside forces that can make the big picture seem, well, too big.