Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel needs two more goals to break Dino Ciccarelli's single-season rookie playoff goal-scoring record, and the former Minnesota North Stars forward is rooting for it to happen.
Ciccarelli scored 14 goals in the 1981 postseason, helping the North Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New York Islanders in five games.
"I hope he does break the record," Ciccarelli, 57, told the Star Tribune in a telephone interview. "He has great instincts. He has a knack for the net."
Guentzel, 22, who grew up in Minnesota, scored his 13th goal of this postseason in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night. It was his fourth goal of the championship series against the Nashville Predators.
"Records are made to be broken," Ciccarelli, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, told NHL.com. "Like I said, I'm a fan. If somebody's going to beat my record, it might as well be someone from where I started, where I got it done. It's kind of cool to see."
Ciccarelli set his mark in 19 games. Guentzel has played 22 playoff games so far this season. The Penguins lead the Predators 2-1, with Game 4 to be played Monday night in Nashville.
Guentzel leads the Penguins in goals this postseason. He is tied with Phil Kessel for third on the team with 20 points behind Evgeni Malkin (26) and Sidney Crosby (23).
Guentzel had 16 goals and 17 assists in 40 regular-season games, with his 33 points good for ninth on the team.