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Penguins' Sullivan: It's hard not to love Hornqvist

Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Everybody loves Patric.

Related: Watch: Hornqvist's OT winner puts Capitals on brink of elimination

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the Washington Capitals on the ropes thanks to a Patric Hornqvist overtime goal in Game 4 on Wednesday, giving Pittsburgh a commanding 3-1 series lead. The goal was the 29-year-old's second of the series and the latest accolade to get his coach's attention.

"It's hard not to love this guy," Sullivan said of Hornqvist, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "He just loves hockey. He loves being around it. He loves to compete. He's full of energy. He wears his emotions right on his sleeve, sometimes to a fault, but we love him."

It's no surprise that the young Swede is garnering such affection, his goal Wednesday night increased his team playoff lead by two.

In fact, Hornqvist's five goals through nine playoff contests has him tied for fourth in postseason goal scoring, just two tallies behind Tampa Bay Lighting forward Nikita Kucherov for top spot.

Continued production from Hornqvist adds to an already potent lineup that includes superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, making the Penguins a legitimate threat to capture Lord Stanley's Mug.

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