Jake Guentzel provided relief for Team USA with a goal reminiscent of his NHL plays. With a perfect assist and a hard, cross-ice shot past Canada’s goalie, he gave a much-needed boost to the team after they had conceded the first goal in the opening period.
Among the most unexpected players to become protagonists during the game was Guentzel. After the Tkachuk brothers’ fights at the start of the game and Connor McDavid’s goal that gave the Canadians the lead, Guentzel emerged as the savior to tie the game.
When he scored his first goal for the United States in the game against Canada, Guentzel had 27 goals in the season playing for Tampa Bay. He recently joined the team for the 2024-25 season from Carolina, where he had a shortened season with only 17 games on ice.
At the end of the game, Guentzel not only tied the game for the USA, but he also took advantage of Canada‘s desperation to score an empty-net goal in the final minutes of the third period, sealing the game at 3-1.
Guentzel Named Top Scorer
Naturally, after scoring two goals in the game, Guentzel earned the MVP award for the game against Canada. He received a black box as a gift for his achievement. Notably, besides his two goals, he was the third player with the most time on ice, totaling 20:35 minutes, behind Brock Faber (24:56) and Jaccob Slavin (25:36).
Another Good Game for Guentzel
It’s worth remembering that Guentzel was also present in Team USA’s 6-1 thrashing of Finland. In that game, he scored a goal and provided an assist during the 18:30 minutes he played on the ice. Currently, he’s on a good streak that’s likely to continue in the upcoming games against Sweden and the final on February 20.