Pittsburgh Penguins 2017 Stanley Cup Final Postseason Guide by Pittsburgh Penguins

PLAYOFF GUIDE ROUND

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2016.17 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

PLAYOFF GUIDE Table of Contents 2016.17 Season Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Penguins vs. Predators . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Playoff Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 The Players. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125 Playoff History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

2016.17 REGULAR SEASON

REVIEW

2016.17 Season-In-Review • 6

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

2016.17 NOTES SEASON SUMMARY One year after staging one of the most impressive in-season turnarounds in club history, the Pittsburgh Penguins used a more consistent approach to compile one of the top records in club history. The Pens ended the year with a 50-21-11 record, good enough for 111 points and the second-best record in the NHL. The 111 points represented the second-highest single-season total in club history, and this season marked the fourth time that the Pens have recorded 50 wins. It was also just the third time that Pittsburgh finished a regular season ranked in the top-two in the NHL’s overall standings. In his first full season behind the bench, Mike Sullivan became just the third coach in club history to win 50 games in a season, joining Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman and Dan Bylsma. Sullivan’s squad achieved its record despite another year battling the injury bug. The Pens lost 286 man-games to injury. By reaching the playoffs for the 11th-straight year, the Pens equaled the club record for most consecutive years reaching the postseason, originally established between 1991 through 2001. The Penguins’ streak is the longest active playoff streak among all NHL teams. The Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-1, in the First Round, then survived seven-game battles against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators to advance to Stanley Cup Final, where they will face the Nashville Predators.

IMPRESSIVE STREAKS As mentioned, the Penguins now own the NHL’s longest active streak of consecutive years making the playoffs, having qualified for the postseason in each of the past 11 years since 2006-07. That equaled the longest run in team history (1991 to 2001), and gave the Pens 22 postseason appearances in the last 26 seasons. Not to be outdone, the Penguins’ minor-league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, qualified for the playoffs as well. It was the 15th-straight year they have made the postseason, the longest active run of all American Hockey League clubs.

NEW NAME, SAME RESULTS A new season brought a new name to the Penguins’ home rink, as PPG bought naming rights to the seven-year-old building, resulting in a name change to PPG Paints Arena. While the name on the outside changed, the Penguins continued to build upon the home-ice advantage they created last season. During the 2016-17 campaign, the Penguins owned a 31-6-4 home record, the third time in club history that Pittsburgh has recorded 30 home wins. The Pens’ 66 home points ranked second in club history. Since Dec. 21, 2015, the Penguins have compiled a record of 64-17-6 (87 GP) at PPG Paints Arena (regular season and playoffs).

PENS LEAD THE LEAGUE IN GOALS The presence of NHL goal-scoring leader Sidney Crosby went a long way towards the Penguins finishing the season with a leagueleading 278 goals. That marked the sixth time in franchise history that Pittsburgh has paced the NHL in goals, and the third time in the Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era. The other years were: 2012-13 (162); 2011-12 (230); 1996-97 (285); 1995-96 (362); and 1991-92 (343). At home, the Penguins scored a league-leading 156 goals, the most by an NHL team since the Washington Capitals in 2009-10. Since the advent of shootouts in 2005-06, the Pens’ 156 home goals tied for third among NHL teams. This year, the Penguins had five players surpass 20 goals – Crosby (44), Malkin (33), Phil Kessel (23), Conor Sheary (23) and Patric Hornqvist (21). Eight players reached the 15-goal mark.

SULLIVAN STEERS PENGUINS THROUGH INJURIES Unfortunately the Penguins could not avoid the injury bug in 2016-17, losing 286 man-games to injury over the course of the year. The injury bug was at its worst down the stretch, when the Pens suffered 139 man-games lost from March 1 through the end of the regular season (6.62 avg.). During that span, Pittsburgh found a way to produce a 12-6-3 record. Head coach Mike Sullivan kept the Penguins on task in spite of the constant shuffling down the stretch, with the result a 50-win season. The win total allowed Sullivan to set a club record for most wins by a coach in his first full season behind the bench, and it made him just the third coach in franchise history to steer the club to 50 wins, joining Dan Bylsma (twice) and Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman. Most of the injured Penguins either came back, or are projected to return at some point during the 2017 playoffs, but one player who won’t be in action this postseason is defenseman Kris Letang. On April 5, the Penguins announced that Letang would miss 4-to-6 months due to surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. While the loss of Letang is huge, Pittsburgh proved it could compete without him, going

2016.17 Season-In-Review • 7

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

2016.17 NOTES 25-11-5 overall in the 41 games he missed this year, and 13-7-3 in such games from February 25 until the end of the regular season. That’s a huge improvement from the 2-8-1 record the Pens posted when Letang was sidelined in 2015-16.

CROSBY’S BEST Sidney Crosby sat out the first six games of the season with a concussion, but from the moment he laced up his skates on October 25, he was the most dominant goal scorer in the NHL. He had eight goals in his first six games, a remarkable pace that pushed Crosby to score an NHL-best 44 goals. He won the accompanying Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for a second time (also won in 2009-10). Pittsburgh’s team MVP for a seventh time, Crosby finished the season second (tied) in the NHL scoring race with 89 points, the eighth time in his career he has finished a campaign in the NHL’s top three. That tied him with Mario Lemieux, Stan Mikita and Phil Esposito for the third-most such instances all-time behind only Wayne Gretzky (15 times) and Gordie Howe (12 times). The Metropolitan Division captain at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles, Crosby went 67-straight games without going consecutive games without a point between February 29, 2016 and February 7, 2017, a career-long stretch. He also paced all NHL players during the 2016 calendar year with 100 points (53G-47A). This season, Crosby had a season-high nine-game point streak (7G-7A-14PTS) from November 26-December 14; and he had a seasonbest five-game goal-scoring streak between December 20-28. From October 25-December 12, Crosby went 23-straight games without going consecutive games without a goal before a three-game goalless drought.

LIFTOFF It wasn’t quite a Stanley Cup hangover, as the Penguins navigated to a 13-7-3 record through the first two months of the regular season. But that winning record came with a bit of an asterisk, as Pittsburgh was outscored 69-67 during the first 23 games of the year. But a December to remember returned the Penguins to elite status, as Pittsburgh went 12-1-2 in its second-busiest month of the season (March, 16 games), scoring a league-high 64 goals while giving up just 37 for a plus-27 differential. The month began with the Penguins posting a season-best seven-game winning streak that eventually morphed into a season-high 10game point streak (8-0-2). Columbus ended the latter run by handing the Penguins their only regulation loss of the month on December 22. Evgeni Malkin (21 points), Sidney Crosby (20 points) and Justin Schultz (18 points) were the top-three NHL point producers for the month. Crosby’s 11 goals tied the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider for the NHL lead.

DOMINATING DUO Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been dubbed the ‘Two-Headed Monster’ since early in their career together. This year, the pair produced one of their best efforts, combining for 77 goals (Crosby, 44; Malkin, 33). Only one time have they had more combined goals in a season, and that was back in 2009-10 when they combined for 79 goals (Crosby, 51; Malkin, 28). This season, Crosby averaged a league-high 0.59 goals per game, with Malkin finishing third at 0.53. For both players, that represented their third-best single-season average. Crosby (1.19) and Malkin (1.16) finished second and third in points per game average.

METRO MADNESS It’s not often that 111 points and the NHL’s second-best record doesn’t earn a division title, but that was the case for the Penguins this year, as they came in second in the Metropolitan Division because the Washington Capitals rattled off a league-high 118 points. To further illustrate how deep the Metropolitan Division was, the Columbus Blue Jackets (108 points) and the New York Rangers (102 points) both finished in the NHL’s top-10. Pittsburgh more than held its own against the stiff competition, compiling a division-leading 20-8-2 record against Metro foes. That number included a 13-4-2 record in their final 19 games following a season-worst 7-1 loss in Columbus on December 22. At home, the Penguins went 10-1-1 in their final 12 games against the division.

ROOKIE SENSATIONS Matt Murray, who qualified for rookie status this season despite leading the Penguins to a championship in 2016, proved his playoff run from the previous year wasn’t a fluke by producing one of the best rookie seasons ever by an NHL goaltender. The Penguins’ Rookie of the Year, Murray became just the 13th first-year netminder since the 1967 NHL Expansion to win 30 games. Murray’s final record was 32-10-4 with a 2.41 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and four shutouts in 49 games. His .739 points percentage is fifth-best among rookies to play 40 or more games since 1967.

2016.17 Season-In-Review • 8

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2016.17 NOTES Murray recorded 33 wins in his first 50 NHL games, the second-highest total since 1967 according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Jake Guentzel burst onto the NHL scene by scoring twice in his NHL debut on November 21 against the New York Rangers, including a tally just 1:02 minutes into the contest, which established a franchise record for the fastest goal by a player in his debut. Guentzel headed back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League not long after that for a short stint, but he returned for good in January, eventually earning a coveted role alongside Sidney Crosby, helping Guentzel produce 16 goals and 33 points in just 40 games. Although he didn’t log enough NHL action to enter Rookie of the Year discussion like Murray did, Guentzel was one of the NHL’s most productive freshmen, finishing third in points per game among rookies at 0.83 points per contest, behind only freshmen stars Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Guentzel and Scott Wilson (26 points) became the first set of Penguins rookies to tally 25 or more points since Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal did so back in 2006-07.

BREAKOUT STARS Pittsburgh’s march to the second-best record in the entire NHL was aided in large part by the emergence of Conor Sheary and Justin Schultz, both of whom cracked the 50-point plateau, building off the strides they made during the 2016 playoff run. Sheary firmly entrenched himself as Sidney Crosby’s running mate, scoring 23 goals while producing 53 points. Over the final 33 games of the season, Sheary had 34 points (15G-19A). His breakout came in full force during the month of January, when he had eight goals, which tied for third in the NHL. Schultz displayed the talents that made him one of the top prospects in the game just a few years ago, establishing career highs offensively in goals (12), assists (39) and points (51). He became just the 13th defenseman in club history to hit 50 points, stepping into the role of No. 1 defenseman with Kris Letang sidelined for a majority of the season. December saw Schultz pace all NHL blueliners with 18 points (6G-12A), making him one of just three NHL defensemen (with Brent Burns and P.K. Subban) to record 18 or more points in a calendar month during the last five years. In December, only teammates Evgeni Malkin (21 points) and Crosby (20) had more points in the NHL than Schultz.

#CROSBY1000 History was made 6:28 minutes into the Penguins’ February 16 home game against Winnipeg when Sidney Crosby picked up his 1,000th NHL point when he set up a Chris Kunitz goal. Crosby accomplished the feat in just 757 career games, making him the fastest active player, and 12th-fastest all-time, to reach that number. Crosby, the 86th player in NHL history to reach 1,000, joined Mario Lemieux (1,723 points) and Jaromir Jagr (1,079) as the only players in team history to hit four figures. Crosby was just the 39th player to have 1,000 points entirely with one franchise. To cap off the evening, Crosby scored in overtime to seal a 4-3 Pittsburgh victory, while also establishing a franchise record with his 23rd career overtime point (10G-13A), surpassing Lemieux.

MILESTONE FILLED YEAR Evgeni Malkin spent the season adding more superlatives to his career legacy, beginning in Philadelphia on October 29 when he scored his 300th NHL goal, the game-winner nonetheless. Later, just after Christmas, Malkin became the ninth Russian-born player, and fourth Penguin, to hit 800 career points with a first-period power-play goal at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Finally, Malkin collected his 500th NHL assist by setting up an Ian Cole tally in Columbus on February 17.

PERFECT NIGHT FOR OUTDOOR HOCKEY Heinz Field became the first venue to have outdoor hockey return a second time when the Penguins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in a Stadium Series contest on February 25. Playing against their biggest rival, the Pens made sure to enjoy the experience of skating outside better than the last time they suited up at Heinz Field. Thanks to an opening goal from Sidney Crosby and a pair of assists by rookie Jake Guentzel, the Penguins won, 4-2, in front of 67,318 fans on a chilly evening. Pittsburgh improved to 2-2 all-time outdoors by picking up its first victory in such conditions since a 2-1 shootout win in the original Winter Classic on January 1, 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo against the Sabres.

2016.17 Season-In-Review • 9

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2016.17 NOTES PENS CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY The Penguins enjoyed a season-long 50th anniversary celebration this year. Pittsburgh began the festivities on October 15 against Anaheim when players from the team’s “Early Years” were welcomed back. Later, the back-to-back 1991 and ’92 Stanley Cup champions were honored on December 3 versus Detroit, and the 2009 champions opened up the new calendar year with a reunion celebration on January 8 against Tampa Bay. The final alumni celebration came on February 3 versus Columbus. One of the highlights of the 50th anniversary was the release of “Pittsburgh is Home”, a nearly three-hour documentary of the Penguins’ first 50 seasons. Actor and Mount Lebanon native Joe Manganiello narrated the film, which featured interviews that included, among others, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey and Scotty Bowman.

NHL 100 On January 1, the NHL began its Centennial Celebration. One of the signature events of the year-long celebration that will ensue over the next 12 months was the announcement of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players as voted by a select panel. The Penguins were fortunate to have nine players chosen to the list, led by Hall of Fame owner Mario Lemieux and current captain Sidney Crosby. They were joined by Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Luc Robitaille, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton. Bathgate and Horton were named at the Centennial Classic in Toronto on January 1, while the other seven were honored during a televised ceremony on the Friday night of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES The beginning of the season saw the Penguins celebrate their Stanley Cup victory from last year on several occasions. Opening night, the Penguins raised their 2016 championship banner, debuting freshly-designed banners for all four of the franchise’s Stanley Cup wins that stand out versus the other banners in the rafters. Former United States president Barack Obama welcomed the Penguins to the White House on October 6. Their visit was ironic because it made them both the first (back in 2009) and the last NHL team to celebrate a championship at the White House during Obama’s tenure. Finally, on October 11, Penguins’ players, coaches and front office staff were presented with their Stanley Cup rings at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District.

CROSBY NAMED MVP OF WORLD CUP For the first time since 2004, the NHL and NHLPA staged the World Cup of Hockey in September of 2016. From a Pittsburgh angle, it was déjà vu, as the eight-team tournament concluded with a Penguins captain leading Canada to the championship. Just like Mario Lemieux in ’04, current captain Sidney Crosby not only fulfilled that same role for the Canadians, but he led his nation to a championship as Canada swept Team Europe in the championship round. Crosby didn’t just lead the Canadians to the title, but he was the best player in the tournament, finishing first among all players in goals (7), points (10) and plus-minus (+8), all of which earned him World Cup MVP honors. By winning the MVP award, Crosby joined Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr as the only players in the history of hockey to be named MVP of the NHL regular season, NHL playoffs and the World Cup of Hockey. PPG Paints Arena played a small part in the World Cup, hosting an exhibition doubleheader on September 14 that began with Matt Murray and Team North America facing the Czech Republic in the opening game, and concluding with Crosby and the Canadians taking on Evgeni Malkin’s Russian squad.

10-STRAIGHT YEARS OF SELLOUTS The Penguins sold out all 40 home games this season at PPG Paints Arena – the 10th consecutive year the team has sold out its entire home slate. This year the Pens attracted 742,955 patrons during the regular season, an average of 18,574 per contest. Heading into the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins have sold out a franchise record 481 consecutive games (including playoffs) dating back to Feb. 14, 2007. Since the sellout streak began, 8,679,178 fans have seen the Penguins in action, an average of 18,044 per game. During the streak the Penguins have an overall record of 312-136-33 (.683 pct.). Pittsburgh surpassed the eight-million mark in total attendance during the streak on December 5 against Ottawa and the Pens enjoyed their 400th-straight regular-season sellout on March 26 versus Philadelphia. Although it didn’t count towards the Penguins’ streak, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia attracted 67,318 fans to the clubs’ Stadium Series matchup on February 25 at Heinz Field.

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2016.17 Season-In-Review â€˘ 10

Record: 6-2-1 Goals For: 24 Goals Against: 27 Power Play: 9/34 (26.5%) Penalty Kill: 30/38 (78.9%) Pens Leaders Goals: Evgeni Malkin, 5 Assists: Phil Kessel, 6 Points: Malkin, 10 Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury, 6 Goals-Against Average: Fleury, 3.09 Save Percentage: Fleury, .909

Marc-Andre Fleury carried a heavy load between the pipes in October, starting the first nine games of the regular season with Matt Murray sidelined due to injury. That tied the second-longest streak of consecutive starts at the beginning of a season for Fleury (11 in 2006-07). A 41-save performance in the season opener against Washington helped Fleury post a 5-0-1 record at home for the month.

-Pittsburgh finished with a winning record in October for the 10th-consecutive season. -The Penguins raised their 2016 Stanley Cup championship banner prior to the season opener on Oct. 13 versus Washington. -Chris Kunitz became the 18th Pens player to play in 500 career games with the club. In the same game, he notched his 200th assist with the team. -Matt Cullen became the sixth active player to reach 1,300 career games on Oct. 22 at Nashville. He had an assist on Scott Wilsonâ€™s goal.

-Matt Murray signed a three-year contract extension on Oct. 20 that locked him up through 2019-20. -Brian Dumoulin appeared in his 100th NHL game on Oct. 25 against the Florida Panthers. -Sidney Crosby made his season debut on Oct. 25 vs. Florida, scoring a goal in the comeback win. -Crosby had goals in each of his three games played in October (4 goals total). -The Penguins went 3-2-1 in the six games that Crosby missed at the outset of the season.

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2016.17 Season-In-Review • 11

Record: 7-5-2 Goals For: 43 Goals Against: 42 Power Play: 6/44 (13.6%) Penalty Kill: 35/45 (77.8%) Pens Leaders Goals: Sidney Crosby, 11 Assists: Phil Kessel, 9 Points: Crosby, 17 Wins: Matt Murray, 7 Goals-Against Average: Murray, 2.02 Save Percentage: Murray, .929

Sidney Crosby sprinted out of the gate with points in each of his first six games (8G-2A), including back-to-back two-goal efforts on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles and Nov. 5 at San Jose. Crosby paced all NHL players with 11 goals for the month. He tallied at least once in eight of his 14 games in November. Crosby didn’t go back-to-back games without scoring this year until Dec. 14-17.

-Matt Cullen scored a goal on his 40th birthday against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 2. -Carl Hagelin picked up his 100th NHL assist on Nov. 5 at San Jose. -Generational talents Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid went head-to-head for the first time on Nov. 8 at PPG Paints Arena. The Pens won in OT. -Pittsburgh didn’t lose in regulation at home until Nov. 10 against Minnesota (started 6-0-1). -Phil Kessel had a seven-game home point streak (3G-7A) from Oct. 15-Nov. 10, the third-longest streak of his career.

-Matt Murray won 11-straight games from March 6-Nov. 12, 2016, the second-longest winning streak in team history. -Sidney Crosby collected his team-record 12th career overtime assist on Nov. 18 at the New York Islanders on a Kris Letang goal. -Phil Kessel recorded his 600th NHL point with a goal on Nov. 25 at Minnesota. Jake Guentzel recorded his first NHL assist on the tally. -Nick Bonino registered his 100th NHL assist on Nov. 25 at Minnesota.

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2016.17 Season-In-Review • 12

Record: 12-1-2 Goals For: 64 Goals Against: 37 Power Play: 15/56 (26.8%) Penalty Kill: 39/47 (83.0%) Pens Leaders Goals: Sidney Crosby, 11 Assists: Evgeni Malkin, 14 Points: Malkin, 21 Wins: Matt Murray/M-A Fleury, 6 Goals-Against Average: Murray, 2.34 Save Percentage: Murray, .926

Pittsburgh led the league in offense during December in large part because of the breakout of Justin Schultz. The young blueliner led all NHL D-men with 18 points (6G-12A) for the month. That made Schultz one of just three NHL defensemen over the last five years to have 18 or more points in a calendar month, joining P.K. Subban and Brent Burns.

-The Penguins won their first seven games in December, establishing a season-long streak. Pittsburgh was 8-0-2 in its first 10 games in Dec. -Bryan Rust registered his first NHL hat trick on Dec. 5 vs. Ottawa. -Evgeni Malkin notched his 111th power-play goal on Dec. 10 at Tampa Bay to move into second on the club’s all-time list behind Mario Lemieux. -Justin Schultz skated in his 300th NHL game on Dec. 22 at Columbus. -Chad Ruhwedel scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 23 against New Jersey.

-Mike Sullivan signed a three-year contract extension through 2019-20 on Dec. 26. -Evgeni Malkin collected his 800th NHL point with a goal on Dec. 27 at New Jersey. -Sidney Crosby had a season-long five-game goal-scoring streak from Dec. 20-28. -Marc-Andre Fleury was named the NHL’s ‘Third Star’ for the final week of December. -Pittsburgh Magazine named the Penguins the publication’s ‘Pittsburghers of the Year’ for winning the Stanley Cup last year.

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2016.17 Season-In-Review • 13

Record: 6-5-0 Goals For: 43 Goals Against: 36 Power Play: 9/36 (25.0%) Penalty Kill: 28/38 (73.7%) Pens Leaders Goals: Conor Sheary, 8 Assists: Sidney Crosby, 12 Points: Crosby, 14 Wins: Matt Murray, 5 Goals-Against Average: Murray, 2.88 Save Percentage: Murray, .911

Conor Sheary used a strong January to cement his status as one of Sidney Crosby’s permanent wingers. Sheary finished the month third (tied) in the NHL with eight goals. He scored six of his goals the week of January 22, when he was the league’s ‘First Star.’ His first career regular-season overtime goal on Jan. 16 helped the Pens to an 8-7 overtime defeat of the Washington Capitals.

-Sidney Crosby was voted the Metropolitan Division captain for the All-Star Game, and Evgeni Malkin was also selected to the game, although he had to miss the game due to injury. Crosby helped the Metro Division sweep the All-Star Tournament by scoring his first All-Star Game goal. -Chris Kunitz moved into the top-10 on the Pens’ all-time goal-scoring list after his tally on Jan. 8 against Tampa Bay. -Evgeni Malkin moved into the top-five on the Pens’ all-time goal-scoring list with his tally on Jan. 11 in Washington.

-Ian Cole played in his 300th NHL game and Justin Schultz collected his 100th NHL assist on Jan. 16 versus the Capitals.-Cameron Gaunce picked up his first NHL assist on Jan. 18 in Montreal. -Bryan Rust skated in his 100th NHL contest on Jan. 26 in Boston. -Carter Rowney made his NHL debut on Jan. 31 against the Nashville Predators. -Sidney Crosby was one of nine Penguins named to the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

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2016.17 Season-In-Review â€˘ 14

Record: 7-2-3 Goals For: 37 Goals Against: 27 Power Play: 5/34 (14.7%) Penalty Kill: 31/35 (88.6%) Pens Leaders Goals: Sidney Crosby/Phil Kessel, 6 Assists: Kris Letang, 10 Points: Crosby/Letang, 11 Wins: Matt Murray, 5 Goals-Against Average: Murray, 1.98 Save Percentage: Murray, .936

Phil Kessel had one of the best seasons of his career in 2016.17. He was at his best in February, when he scored six times, including a pair of goals, with his second goal the overtime gamewinner, in a huge 4-3 defeat of Columbus on Feb. 3. During the month, Kessel also ran off a four-game goal-scoring streak from Feb. 9-16, his longest such streak since joining the Pens.

-Phil Kessel played in his 800th NHL game on Feb. 3 against Columbus. -Carter Rowney notched his first NHL point with an assist in St. Louis on Feb. 4. -Josh Archibald scored his first two NHL goals on Feb. 11 at Arizona, with his second coming shorthanded. -Trevor Daley collected his 200th NHL assist on Feb. 14 against Vancouver. -Not only did Sidney Crosby record his 1,000th NHL point against Winnipeg on Feb. 16, but he scored the game-winner in overtime to become the Pensâ€™ all-time leading scorer in OT (10G-13A).

-Kris Letang appeared in his 600th NHL game, collecting three assists, on Feb. 16 vs. Winnipeg. -Evgeni Malkin picked up his 500th NHL assist on Feb. 17 in Columbus. -Carl Hagelin played in his 400th NHL game on Feb. 21 in Carolina. -Ron Hainsey was acquired on Feb. 23 from Carolina and he played in his first game with the Pens during the 4-2 win over the Flyers in the NHL Stadium Series game at Heinz Field on Feb. 25. -The Pens lost when leading after two periods for the first time under Mike Sullivan on Feb. 28 at Dallas (3-2).

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2016.17 Season-In-Review • 15

Record: 12-6-3 Goals For: 67 Goals Against: 60 Power Play: 16/56 (28.6%) Penalty Kill: 42/54 (77.8%) Pens Leaders Goals: Sidney Crosby, 10 Assists: Crosby/Conor Sheary/Phil Kessel, 12 Points: Crosby, 22 Wins: Matt Murray, 9 Goals-Against Average: Marc-Andre Fleury, 2.55 Save Percentage: Fleury, .923

Nick Bonino historically puts up his best regularseason numbers in the month of March, and this year was no exception. He tallied his second career NHL hat trick on March 8 in Winnipeg, then later scored the game-winning goal that secured Pittsburgh’s playoff berth on March 21 in Buffalo. His 99 blocked shots for the season led all NHL forwards.

-Ron Hainsey picked up his first point as a Penguin with an assist on Mar. 1 in Chicago. -Mark Streit scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in his Pens debut against Tampa Bay on Mar. 3. -Evgeni Malkin scored twice and had an assist in his 700th NHL game on Mar. 3 versus the Lightning. -Matt Murray set a Pens rookie record with his 25th win on Mar. 8 at Winnipeg. -Ron Hainsey skated in his 900th NHL game in Calgary on Mar. 13.

-Ian Cole set the Pens single-season blocked shot record on Mar. 15 in Philadelphia. -Carter Rowney scored his first NHL goal (GWG) on Mar. 17 versus New Jersey. -Marc-Andre Fleury won his 375th career game, 15th-most in NHL history, on Mar. 19 vs. Florida. -Sidney Crosby moved into second place on the Pens’ all-time assist list with 641 on Mar. 31 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. -On the final day of the regular season, Tristan Jarry and Jean-Sebastien Dea made their NHL debuts.

2016.17 Season-In-Review â€¢ 16

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FAST FACTS Scoring First: Opponent Scoring First:

30-10-7 20-11-4

Outshooting Opponent: Outshot by Opponent: Shots Even:

31-7-6 18-13-3 1-1-2

Leading After One Period: Leading After Two Periods: Trailing After One Period: Trailing After Two Periods:

21-4-2 37-1-1 13-10-1 8-16-4

One-Goal Decisions: Two-Goal Decisions: Three or More Goal Decisions:

19-3-11 7-3 24-15

Scoring Five or More Goals: Scoring Four Goals: Scoring Three Goals: Scoring Two or Less Goals:

19-0-0 18-0-0 11-4-4 2-17-7

Allowing Five or More Goals: Allowing Four Goals: Allowing Three Goals: Allowing Two Goals or Less:

2-12-0 4-6-2 10-3-3 34-0-6

First-Half Record: Second-Half Record:

26-10-5 24-11-6

RECORD BY MONTH October: November: December: January: February: March: April:

6-2-1 7-5-2 12-1-2 6-5-0 7-2-3 9-4-3 3-2-0

Home Record: Road Record:

31-6-4 19-15-7

RECORD IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES First Game: Second Game:

6-6-3 6-4-5

16-17 Overtime Record: All-Time Overtime Record:

10-11 200-157-176

16-17 Shootout Record: All-Time Shootout Record:

4-5 73-48

RECORD VS. EASTERN CONFERENCE vs. Metropolitan Division: vs. Atlantic Division:

20-8-2 15-6-3

RECORD VS. WESTERN CONFERENCE vs. Central Division: vs. Pacific Division:

6-7-1 9-0-5

Goals 1st

2nd

3rd

TOTAL

FOR

GOALS

102

103

278

AGAINST

229

SHOTS SHOTS ON GOAL

1st

2nd

3rd

TOTAL

FOR

928

836

2745

AGAINST

865

905

852

2671

2016.17 Season-In-Review • 17

pittsburghpenguins.com

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Games Played

Even-Strength Goals

Phil Kessel Ian Cole Nick Bonino

82 81 80

Points 89 72 70 53

Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Conor Sheary

Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Phil Kessel Conor Sheary

44 33 23 23

Assists Phil Kessel Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Justin Schultz

47 45 39 39

Shots Sidney Crosby Phil Kessel Patric Hornqvist

255 229 223

Shooting Percentage Jake Guentzel Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin

19.8 17.3 17.3

Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Conor Sheary

34 27 27

64 49 48

14 11 10

Power-Play Assists Phil Kessel Justin Schultz Kris Letang Evgeni Malkin

22 17 12 12

Evgeni Malkin Ian Cole Tom Sestito

77 72 48

Average Ice Time

Matt Cullen Josh Archibald Nick Bonino Tom Kuhnhackl

30 25 23 20

2 1 1 1

Shorthanded Assists 25:31 20:32 20:27

Several Tied

6 6 6

Shorthanded Points Matt Cullen Tom Kuhnhackl

Game-Winning Goals

Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury Tristan Jarry Mike Condon

1,748 1,213 859

49 38 1 1

Goaltender — Wins Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury

Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury

32 18

2 2

2.41 3.02

Save Percentage Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury

Shorthanded Goals

Penalty Minutes

Sidney Crosby Nick Bonino Matt Cullen

Goals-Against Average

Power-Play Points Phil Kessel Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Justin Schultz

51.2 48.2 48.0

Goaltender — Games

Power-Play Goals Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Patric Hornqvist

Matt Cullen Sidney Crosby Nick Bonino

Faceoffs Taken

Even-Strength Points

Goals

Evgeni Malkin Conor Sheary Patric Hornqvist

30 22 21

Even-Strength Assists

Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Phil Kessel Conor Sheary

Kris Letang Brian Dumoulin Justin Schultz

Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Conor Sheary

Faceoff Percentage

.923 .909

Minutes Played Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury Tristan Jarry

2,766 2,125 59

Shutouts Matt Murray Marc-Andre Fleury

4 1

2016.17 Season-In-Review â€¢ 18

pittsburghpenguins.com

2016.17

FINAL SEASON STATS PLAYER

POS

+/-

PIM

PPG

PPP SHG SHP

TOI/G

FO%

Sidney Crosby

255

17.3