2012 Pittsburgh Penguins Playoff Guide by Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

PLAYOFF GUIDE 2011.12

CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS • ROUND ONE

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PLAYOFF GUIDE Table of Contents

Section One . . . . Playoff Information Section Two. . . . . . 2011-12 Review Section Three. . . .Penguins vs. Flyers Section Four . . . . . . . . Playoff Bios Section Five. . . . . . . Playoff History

5 • Section One • Playoff Information

PLAYOFF INFORMATION SECTION ONE

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Section One â&#x20AC;˘ Playoff Information â&#x20AC;˘ 6

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2012 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

MEDIA INFORMATION MEDIA ENTRANCE: Members of the media can access CONSOL Energy Center through the administrative entrance located to the right of the box office at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Washington Place. Media with proper accreditation should proceed to the first floor, using the elevators just inside the administrative entrance. Media will pass through three sets of double doors before turning right down the hallway towards the media areas. The media work room will be on the left and the elevators to the media level are located further down the hallway to the right. CREDENTIALS: 2011-12 regular-season credentials will not be valid for the 2012 playoffs. Length of play credential requests for all rounds prior to the Stanley Cup Final must be submitted to the Penguins communications department and will be distributed before the first home game of the first round. Individual game credentials will be issued based on availability and should be reserved as early as possible. Major daily newspapers, television and radio outlets will receive priority in handling game-by-game requests. All requests must be submitted to Jason Seidling (jseidling@pittsburghpenguins.com) no later than 48 hours prior to the game. Game-by-game credentials may be picked up at the CONSOL Energy Center media entrance two and a half hours prior to game time. The National Hockey League will handle all credential requests for the Stanley Cup Final. All members of the media must apply to the NHL for Stanley Cup Final accreditation. Applications are available in the media work room and must be received by the date determined by the League. Only working members of the media will be admitted to the locker rooms. The Penguins require all members of the media to display credentials at all times inside CONSOL Energy Center. MEDIA WORK ROOM: The media work room is located on the lower level in the south end of the building. Members of the media and game night staff must present credentials at the door for admittance. The media room will be open two hours prior to the start of each game with dinner and beverages available for purchase. The media work room is equipped with wireless Internet, telephones, electrical outlets and a mult box. It is open to the media on all practice and game days. General media workspace is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Media work stations along the perimeter of the work room will be designated to specific outlets during the playoffs. MEDIA LEVEL: The media level is located on the east side of the building above sections 216-223. It is for game personnel and working members of the media only. Designated elevators to the media level are located down the hallway from the media room in the southeast corner of the building. Take the elevators to the 7th floor and exit to the right. Please note that all seats in the media level are assigned and media should refer to the posted seating charts for direction. Overflow media will be assigned seats in auxiliary seating areas when necessary. PHOTOGRAPHERS: Penguins team photographers and photographers affiliated with major media outlets that cover the team on a regular basis will be given priority for all ice-level positions. Due to recent changes in NHL safety policies, the number of ice-level positions with holes has been restricted to eight. Some ice-level positions will require shooting through the glass. Singlegame photographer credentials are extremely limited and will be available on a game-by-game basis and assignments may rotate each period. Priority will be given based upon regular-season attendance. Photo assignments will be posted at the media entrance upon arrival and inside the photographer work room prior to each game. The Penguins will provide a limited number of stools to be used at ice-level photo positions inside CONSOL Energy Center. The stools are numbered and available for pick up inside the photographer work room. All stools must be signed out and returned to the work room at the end of the night. The Penguins ask that all ice-level photographers use the provided stools as a courtesy to our fans.

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TELEVISION CREWS: Due to seating limitations, television crews will not be assigned seating in the media level. On-air talent will be assigned one seat per station in the media level. Television crews are asked to view the game in the media work room. TV crews are not permitted to shoot highlight footage of game action. LOCKER ROOM ACCESS: The locker rooms are located behind the player benches on the west side of the building on the lower level. Both are accessible via the hallway from the media work room. The Penguins locker room will open no later than five minutes after the conclusion of the game per NHL regulations. Please be advised that the conclusion of the game includes allotted time for post-game television interviews and the three stars ceremony. The Penguins training room and the players’ dressing area are off-limits to the media at all times. The entrance to the Penguins locker room is through the double doors across from Suite 66 on the lower level. At the conclusion of practice, the locker room will be open as per NHL requirements. The Penguins prohibit members of the media to access the Penguins locker room from the bench and runway. All members of the media are asked to use the elevators to access the locker rooms on Level 1. Only working members of the media with proper media credentials will be admitted to the locker rooms. Please note that due to the increase in media during the playoffs, INTERNS working for credentialed media outlets will not be permitted in the Penguins locker room for the purpose of observing or ‘assisting’ full-time media employees. POST-GAME PROCEDURES: Post-game briefings with head coaches Dan Bylsma and Peter Laviolette will be held after each game in the media work room. Post-game audio from both coaches is available via email. Please see a member of the Penguins communications staff prior to the start of the game to be added to the distribution list. SERVICES: Game notes and statistics will be available in the media work room prior to practices and morning skates as well as the media level on game nights. Additional information from the NHL and media releases will also be available at these locations throughout the playoffs. Game summaries are available after each period in the media level. Final game summaries are distributed in the media level, media work room and both the home and visiting locker rooms after the game. Out-of-town scores will be distributed throughout the game in the media level. If you require any special needs, please see a member of the Penguins communications staff. PRACTICES AND MORNING SKATES: Practice sessions are open to all accredited members of the media. Please confirm location and time by visiting the Penguins media-only website at www. pittsburghpenguins.com/media or by calling the Penguins’ media relations hotline at 412.255.1951 as last-minute changes may occur. Credentials are required at practices. RADIO NETWORK: “The X,” 105.9 FM, will serve as the Penguins flagship radio station for the 2011 playoffs. Hall of Famer Mike Lange and twotime Stanley Cup champion Phil Bourque will call the action for all games. “The X” is part of the Clear Channel Communications group. TELEVSION COVERAGE: ROOT SPORTS continues its coverage of Penguins games this season, broadcasting all games of the Conference Quarterfinals locally. Paul Steigerwald and two-time Stanley Cup champion Bob Errey will call the action.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT Tom McMillan

Vice President Communications 412-255-1828 tmcmillan@pittsburghpenguins.com

Jennifer Bullano

Director of Communications 412-255-1777 jbullano@pittsburghpenguins.com

Jason Seidling

Manager of Communications 412-255-1804 jseidling@pittsburghpenguins.com

Sam Kasan

Director of Content 412-255-1893 skasan@pittsburghpenguins.com

Michelle Crechiolo

Manager of Content 412-255-1825 mcrechiolo@pittsburghpenguins.com

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2012 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

FORMAT

The National Hockey League’s 30 clubs are aligned into two conferences, each consisting of three divisions (Eastern Conference: Atlantic, Northeast, Southeast; Western Conference: Central, Northwest, Pacific). The number of teams qualifying for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs remains at 16. First-round playoff berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division, as well as to the next five best teams (based on regular-season point totals in each conference). The three division winners in each conference will be seeded first through third (in order of points) and the next five best teams (in order of points) will be seeded fourth through eighth. In each conference, the team seeded #1 will play the team seeded #8; #2 vs. #7; #3 vs. #6 and #4 vs. #5 in the Conference Quarterfinal round. Home-ice in the Conference Quarterfinals is granted to those teams seeded first through fourth in each conference. In the Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals, teams will be reseeded according to the same criteria as the Conference Quarterfinals (division leaders will be seeded first and granted home-ice advantage while the remaining teams will be seeded in order of regular-season points). Home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final will be determined by points. All series remain best-of-seven.

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE: In the event two or more clubs are tied in points at the conclusion of the regular season, the standing of the clubs in each conference will be determined in the following order: 1. The greater number of games won in regulation and overtime. 2. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. If two clubs are tied, and have not played an equal number of home games against each other, points earned in the first game played in the city that had the extra game shall not be included. If more than two clubs are tied, the higher percentage of available points earned in games among those clubs (and not including any “odd” games) shall be used to determine the standing. 3. The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season.

CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS (SERIES A – H) The six regular-season division champions will be ranked in the first three positions in their respective conferences, the clubs with the greatest number of points being ranked first in their respective conferences. The remaining five playoff clubs in each conference will be ranked based on regular-season points. Following are the matchups based on the rankings.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (SERIES I – L) If one division winner is eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals: The remaining division winners would be seeded first and second, followed by the two remaining clubs in order of regular-season points. The #1 seed would face the club with the fewest regular-season points, while the other two clubs would meet.

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If two division winners are eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals: The remaining division winner would be seeded first, followed by the three remaining clubs in order of regular-season points. The #1 seed would face the club with the fewest regular-season points, while the other two clubs would meet. If all three division winners are eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals: The remaining clubs would be ranked in order of regular-season points. The remaining team with the most regular-season points would be seeded first, followed by the three remaining teams. The #1 seed would face the #4 seed, while the #2 and #3 seeds would meet. If a division winner meets a non-division winner that compiled more regular season points: The division winner would receive home-ice advantage.

CONFERENCE FINALS (SERIES M AND N) The same criteria used in the selection of order for the Conference Quarterfinals (Advancing division winners, followed by remaining clubs based on regular-season points) again will be in effect. If a division winner meets a non-division winner that compiled more regular-season points: The division winner would receive home-ice advantage. If Conference Semifinal series end early: Start dates for the Conference Finals may be moved up depending on a number of factors, including building availability and travel schedules.

STANLEY CUP FINAL (SERIES O) The Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions will meet in the Stanley Cup Final series. Home-ice will be determined by the greater number of regular-season points, subject to the tie-breaking procedures outlined previously. Games will be played on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis.

SEASON IN REVIEW 2011.12 SECTION TWO

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 12

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

2011-12 NOTES SEASON SUMMARY The Pittsburgh Penguins completed one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, going 51-25-6 to finish with 108 points – the second-highest point total in the Eastern Conference and the fourth-most points in the entire NHL. Pittsburgh’s 51 victories and 108 points both ranked second in franchise history (56 wins and 119 points in 1992-93). The Penguins came in second place in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind the division-champion New York Rangers, earning them their sixth-consecutive postseason appearance. Pittsburgh earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, giving the Penguins home-ice advantage for their opening-round matchup against the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.

MALKIN CAPTURES 2ND ART ROSS TROPHY Center Evgeni Malkin rebounded from a torn ACL injury that ended his 2010-11 season prematurely to become the best player in the NHL this season. The 25-year-old led the league with 109 points (50G-59A) in 75 games to become the third player in franchise history (Mario Lemieux, 6; Jaromir Jagr, 5) to capture multiple Art Ross Trophies as NHL scoring champion. Malkin, who won his first scoring title in ’08-09, became the NHL’s first repeat scoring champion since Jagr won fourstraight crowns between 1998-2001. Malkin ended a streak of nine-straight seasons with a first-time winner. Since 1988, the Penguins have won 14 of the last 24 scoring titles (Lemieux, 6; Jagr, 5; Malkin, 2; Sidney Crosby, 1).

MALKIN’S DOMINANT CAMPAIGN Not only did Evgeni Malkin win his second Art Ross Trophy in 2011-12, he put forth one of the most dominant campaigns in recent memory, leading or placing near the top of several major statistical categories. Malkin ended up winning the scoring title by 12 points over Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos – the largest point differential between the NHL’s top-two scorers since Jaromir Jagr defeated Teemu Selanne by 20 points in 1998-99. Malkin also led the NHL with a 1.45 point-per-game average (min. 41 games), the sixth-highest point-per-game average of the last seven years. Malkin became the ninth player in franchise history to score 50 goals when he beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a wrist shot at 19:48 of the second period in the season-finale against Philadelphia. In addition to leading the league in points, the 25-year-old Malkin finished the season in the top-5 in goals (50, 2nd); assists (59, T-3rd); power-play points (34, 2nd), game-winning goals (9, T-4th), home points (67, 1st) and road points (42, T-1st). Malkin also led the NHL with 339 shots this season. His linemate, James Neal, ranked second with 329, making them the first set of teammates to finish the season ranked Nos. 1-2 in the NHL in shots since Brendan Shanahan (397 shots) and Brett Hull (392) did so with the St. Louis Blues in 1993-94.

HIGHEST-SCORING TEAM IN THE NHL Pittsburgh finished the regular season with an NHL-best 273 goals this season – an average of 3.33 goals per game. This marks the first time the Penguins led the league in goals since doing so in back-to-back seasons in 1996-97 and ’95-96. The Penguins were especially potent during the final 22 games of the regular season when they scored 94 goals for an average of 4.27 per contest. They tallied four or more goals 15 times during that stretch and five-plus goals on 11 occasions. Five Penguins – Evgeni Malkin (50 goals), James Neal (40), Chris Kunitz (26), Jordan Staal (25), and Pascal Dupuis (25) – reached the 20-goal mark.

OVERCOMING INJURIES – AGAIN For the second-straight season the Penguins remained one of the NHL’s elite teams despite battling injury issues all year. Pittsburgh lost 359 man-games due to injury this season. The Penguins had 12 players miss 10 or more games this season, led by captain Sidney Crosby, who missed 60 of 82 games due to concussion symptoms/neck issues. Other key players who missed significant action this year included Kris Letang (29 games), Tyler Kennedy (22 games), Jordan Staal (20 games) and Zbynek Michalek (20 games).

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2011-12 NOTES SPECIAL TEAMS PROVIDE BOOST Pittsburgh finished the regular season with the NHL’s No. 1 special teams unit in 2011-12. Both the power play and the penalty kill finished the year ranked in the top-10 – the first time that’s happened since 1995-96. A year after finishing with the league’s No. 1-ranked penalty killing unit last season, the PK finished this year ranked third in the NHL after establishing a franchise record 87.8% success rate (237-for-270). The previous record was 86.4% in 199798. After three-straight seasons of finishing 19th or lower, the power play had a renaissance year, converting 57-of-289 chances for a 19.7% success rate, tied for the fifth-best percentage in the NHL. James Neal led the NHL with 18 manadvantage tallies.

TURNING POINT An 82-game NHL schedule is full of twists and turns, ups and downs. Pittsburgh’s season was no different. On the morning of Jan. 13, the Penguins had lost a season-high six-straight games and were sitting on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a 21-17-4 record. That night they put an emphatic end to that streak by earning a 4-1 win against the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center. That began an eight-game winning streak through Jan. 31 that put the Penguins back firmly in control of their sixthstraight playoff appearance. In the final 40 games of the regular season beginning on Jan. 13, the Penguins posted the NHL’s best record (30-8-2; .775 pct.).

NHL-BEST 11-GAME WINNING STREAK This season the Penguins proved very capable of stringing victories together. That was especially true from Feb. 21-March 17 when they won an NHL-season-high 11 straight games – the third-longest winning streak in franchise history. During the streak the Penguins outscored foes, 43-17, in regulation. They averaged 3.91 goals per game and allowed just 1.52 per contest. Evgeni Malkin led Pittsburgh in the 11 games with eight goals, eight assists and 16 points. He was one of six players to average at least a point per game during the streak – Jordan Staal, 13 points (3G-10A); Pascal Dupuis, 11 points (7G-4A); Steve Sullivan, 11 points (4G-7A); James Neal, 11 points (2G-9A); and Sidney Crosby, 5 points (5A) in two games.

PERFECT COMBINATION With his team having scored just three goals following back-to-back losses to Boston and Philadelphia, head coach Dan Bylsma altered his line combinations prior to the Penguins’ visit to Long Island on Dec. 10. The change that provided the most profound impact was inserting Chris Kunitz on the left wing next to Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. That night the trio combined for six points (2G-4A) while leading the Penguins to a 6-3 win against the Islanders. They remained together for 50 of the final 53 games of the regular season. During that time, they developed into the best line in the NHL. In those 50 games they combined for 175 points, an average of 3.5 combined points per game. Malkin led the way with 78 points (37G-41A), followed by Neal with 55 points (25G-30A) and Kunitz with 42 (15G-27A).

THE REAL DEAL A position change from left to right wing, and the instant chemistry formed with NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin, led to a breakout season for 24-year-old sniper James Neal. In his first full season with Pittsburgh, Neal established career highs across the board offensively with 40 goals, 41 assists, 81 points, 18 power-play goals and 329 shots. His 18 manadvantage tallies led the NHL. Neal’s 40 goals ranked fourth in the NHL and second among wingers. Neal also ranked among the league leaders in power-play points (30, 4th) and shots (2nd). An All-Star for the first time, Neal was as productive as any player in the league, notching at least 10 points every month from October-March. Neal helped carry the Penguins through the opening month of the season with nine goals and 11 points, allowing the team to post an 8-3-2 record despite playing a majority of the month without Malkin (7 games missed) and Sidney Crosby (13 games missed).

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2011-12 NOTES SPECTACULAR COMEBACK(S) After missing 61 consecutive games between Jan. 5-Nov. 19, 2011 due to a concussion, captain Sidney Crosby made his first comeback in late November. Crosby, who missed the first 20 games of this season, torched the New York Islanders for two goals and two assists in his 2011-12 season debut on Nov. 21 at CONSOL Energy Center. Crosby’s dramatic return included a breakaway, backhand goal on Islanders rookie netminder Anders Nilsson just 5:24 into the game. Crosby’s first comeback lasted just eight games before he was sidelined with concussion-like symptoms/neck injury on Dec. 5 in a game against Boston. In those eight games, Crosby tallied two goals, 10 assists, 12 points, four multiple-point games and he won the NHL’s ‘First Star’ award for the week of Nov. 21-27. After missing 40 more games, Crosby made his second return on March 15 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, tallying a pair of assists. He went on to play in each of Pittsburgh’s final 14 regular-season games, accumulating six goals, 19 assists and 25 points. He finished with multiple points in nine of the 14 games. Overall, Crosby appeared in 22 regular-season contests, during which he notched eight goals, 29 assists, 37points and had a 1.68 point-per-game average.

FRANCHISE GOALTENDER Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury quietly posted a career year between the pipes for the Penguins, building off the breakout regular-season he had in 2010-11. Fleury ranked second in the NHL (first in the Eastern Conference) with a career-high 42 victories – the second-highest single-season total in franchise history (Tom Barrasso; 43 wins; 1992-93). From Jan. 13 through the end of the season, Fleury went 23-5-2 over his final 31 starts. The co-Dapper Dan Award winner, along with head coach Dan Bylsma, Fleury equaled the all-time franchise win mark with 226 following a 5-2 defeat of the New York Rangers on April 5. Earlier in the season, Fleury recorded his 22nd career shutout against the NY Rangers on Feb. 21 – equaling Barrasso’s franchise record.

SUPER DUPER STREAK Pascal Dupuis’ 11th NHL season turned out to be his best yet. The versatile forward established career highs for himself across the board with 25 goals, 34 assists, 59 points, eight game-winning goals and 214 shots while appearing in all 82 games. However, none of those numbers represent his most impressive statistic of the season – his NHL-season-high 17game point streak from March 7-April 7. Dupuis’ run was the NHL’s longest point streak since his linemate, Sidney Crosby, posted a 25-game point streak from Nov. 5-Dec. 28, 2010. During his streak, Dupuis amassed 22 points (10G-12A).

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS In their second season at CONSOL Energy Center, the Penguins made their new barn one of the toughest venues for opposing teams to play by winning 29 games – the third-highest single-season total in franchise history. Pittsburgh finished the regular season with a 29-10-2 home record – good for an Eastern Conference-best 60 home points. That included a 10-game home winning streak from Feb. 21-March 25 – tied for the second-longest home winning streak in franchise history. Pittsburgh averaged 3.56 goals per game at home this season (146 regulation goals/41 games played) – the highest average in the NHL. From Jan. 17 through the end of the season, the Penguins went 18-3 over their last 21 home games. They outscored their opponents by an 85-52 margin. Pittsburgh’s average goals per game in those 21 contests was 4.05.

‘DAPPER’ DAN BYLSMA Head coach Dan Bylsma directed the Penguins to another top regular-season finish. The co-Dapper Dan Award winner, alongside goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Bylsma helped lead the Penguins to 51 wins despite his team suffering 359 mangames lost due to injury. On Feb. 26, Bylsma became the fourth-fastest coach in NHL history to reach 150 wins (251 games) when the Penguins defeated Columbus, 4-2. Earlier in the season, Bylsma became the second-winningest coach in franchise history by picking up his 136th victory at Florida on Jan. 13 (Eddie Johnston, 232 wins). In three-plus seasons behind the bench, Bylsma has compiled a 165-81-25 record (.655 pct.) in 271 regular-season games.

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2011-12 NOTES HOME GOAL SCORING STREAKS A pair of Penguins – James Neal and Evgeni Malkin – had eight-game home goal-scoring streaks this season – tied for the second-longest home goal-scoring streaks in franchise history. Mario Lemieux owns the record, scoring goals in 11 straight games between Jan. 5-Feb. 23, 1996. Neal’s streak began with the home opener against Florida on Oct. 11 and lasted through a Nov. 15 meeting with the Colorado Avalanche (10 goals total). Neal became the first NHL player to tally in each of his team’s first eight home games of the season since Simon Gagne did so with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2005-06. Malkin’s streak started with a tally against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 7 and lasted until he scored twice on Feb. 12 in a game versus Winnipeg. Malkin had nine goals during his streak.

ROAD TESTED The Penguins once again took care of business away from home – posting the sixth-best road record in the NHL at 2215-4. That marked the sixth-straight season that the Penguins have won 20-plus road games – the longest active streak in the NHL and the second-longest streak in NHL history (Montreal; 7 years; 1972-73 to ’78-79). Under head coach Dan Bylsma, the Penguins have gone 76-44-16 (.618 pct.) in 136 regular-season road games.

COMEBACK KIDS During the 2010-11 season, the Penguins were the only NHL team that failed to win a game when trailing after two periods. This season, the Penguins were one of the NHL’s best third-period comeback teams – earning eight victories when behind after 40 minutes. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning (9) won more games when trailing entering the final frame. Pittsburgh posted an 8-19-2 record when trailing after two periods – good for an NHL-best .276 points percentage. This season the Penguins found themselves trailing by two or more goals in 29 games. They rebounded to emerge victorious in nine of those instances (.310 pct.).

BENEFITTING FROM THE SHOOTOUT One of the reasons the Penguins ended the season near the top of the NHL standings was the team’s 9-3 record in shootouts. That tied for the third-most shootout victories behind the New Jersey Devils (12) and Minnesota Wild (11). Individually, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury led the NHL with nine shootout victories, stopping 30-of-39 attempts for a .769 save percentage. Evgeni Malkin, who entered the season having converted just seven-of-29 career shootout attempts, ranked second (tied) in the NHL with eight shootout goals in 11 attempts for a 72.7% success rate. Malkin led the team with three gamedeciding goals.

SELLOUT STREAK SURPASSES 250 CONSECUTIVE GAMES The Penguins sold out all 41 home games this season at CONSOL Energy Center – the fifth consecutive year the team has sold out its entire home slate. Heading into the postseason, the Penguins have sold out a franchise record 251 consecutive games (including playoffs) dating back to Feb. 14, 2007. On April 5 against the New York Rangers the Penguins celebrated the team’s 250th consecutive sellout. Since the sellout streak began, 4,401,038 fans have seen the Penguins in action, an average of 17,534 per game. On Jan. 10 against Ottawa, the Penguins surpassed the four-million fan mark since the streak began. During the streak the Penguins have an overall record of 162-72-17 (.679 pct.). Pittsburgh set a team attendance record this season with 761,224 fans coming to watch the Penguins post the third-best home record in the NHL, an average of 18,567 fans per game. The Penguins set a single-game attendance record when 18,616 fans filled the arena for the season-finale against Philadelphia on Apr. 7.

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2011-12 PENGUINS

MILESTONES/NOTABLE DATES OCTOBER • Pittsburgh finished the first month of the season with an 8-3-2 record despite Evgeni Malkin (7 games missed) and Sidney Crosby (13) missing most of the month due to injury. • Matt Cooke’s pair of goals helped the Penguins open the 2011-12 regular season with a 4-3 shootout win against the defending Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks in the season-opener at Rogers Arena. • Kris Letang appeared in his 300th NHL game at Vancouver Oct. 6. • Jordan Staal notched his 200th NHL point (assist) at Calgary Oct. 8. • The Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers, 4-2, on Oct. 11 in their home opener at CONSOL Energy Center. • On Oct. 13, the Penguins and Washington Capitals honored the memory of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) who perished in a plane crash in August by wearing commemorative patches, stickers on their helmets and more. • Matt Niskanen appeared in his 300th NHL game vs. Washington Oct. 13. • Arron Asham played in his 700th NHL game vs. Montreal Oct. 20. • Steve Sullivan appeared in his 900th NHL game vs. New Jersey Oct. 22. • Jordan Staal scored his 100th NHL goal vs. New Jersey Oct. 22. • Head coach Dan Bylsma coached his 200th NHL game at New York Islanders Oct. 25. • The NHL announced on Oct. 27 that the 2012 NHL Draft will be held at CONSOL Energy Center on June 22-23, 2012.

NOVEMBER • Sidney Crosby had four points (2G-2A) against the New York Islanders on Nov. 21 in his return from a 61-game absence dating back to Jan. 5, 2011.

• Sidney Crosby named NHL ‘First Star’ for the week of Nov. 21-27 (2G-7A). • James Neal scored goals in Pittsburgh’s first eight home games (Oct. 11-Nov. 15), tying for the second-longest home goal-scoring streak in franchise history (Mario Lemieux; 11 games; 1996). • Chris Kunitz collected his 300th NHL point (goal) at Carolina Nov. 12. • Richard Park appeared in his 700th NHL game vs. Colorado Nov. 15. • Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his 21st career shutout in a 5-0 win vs. New York Islanders Nov. 21. • Zbynek Michalek appeared in his 500th NHL game at St. Louis Nov. 23. • Paul Martin played in his 500th NHL game vs. Ottawa Nov. 25.

DECEMBER • Evgeni Malkin was named NHL ‘First Star’ for December after tallying a league-best 20 points (6G-8A) in 13 games. • Evgeni Malkin was NHL ‘Third Star’ for the week of Dec. 12-18 (5G-3A). • Simon Despres made his NHL debut and earned his first point (assist) at Washington Dec. 1. • Brent Johnson appeared in his 300th NHL game at Carolina Dec. 3. • Deryk Engelland played in his 100th NHL game at New York Islanders Dec. 10. • Craig Adams appeared in his 700th NHL game vs. Detroit Dec. 13. • Pascal Dupuis played in his 700th NHL game at Ottawa Dec. 16. • Arron Asham notched his 200th NHL point (assist) at Ottawa Dec. 16. • Marc-Andre Fleury won his 200th NHL game vs. Buffalo Dec. 17.

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• Brooks Orpik earned his 100th NHL point (assist) vs. Buffalo Dec. 17.

• Tyler Kennedy appeared in his 300th NHL game vs. Carolina Jan. 17.

• Evgeni Malkin tallied his seventh career hat trick and added two points for his fourth career fivepoint game vs. Buffalo Dec. 17.

• James Neal scored his 100th NHL goal at St. Louis Jan. 24.

• Simon Despres scored his first NHL goal vs. Buffalo Dec. 17. • Pascal Dupuis collected his 300th NHL point (assist) vs. Buffalo Dec. 17. • Carl Sneep made his NHL debut and earned his first NHL point (assist) vs. Buffalo Dec. 17. • Matt Niskanen registered his 100th NHL point (assist) vs. Chicago Dec. 20. • Steve Sullivan collected his 700th NHL point (assist) at Winnipeg Dec. 23. • Jordan Staal appeared in his 400th NHL game vs. Carolina Dec. 27.

JANUARY • The Penguins won eight straight games between Jan. 13-31. During that stretch they earned five victories in either overtime or a shootout, including the final four straight contests. • Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and James Neal represented the Penguins at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa on Jan. 29. • Head coach Dan Bylsma became the secondwinningest coach in franchise history with his 136th career victory at Florida Jan. 13. • Evgeni Malkin was NHL ‘Second Star’ for January after leading the league with 12 goals and posting 16 points in 12 games. • Evgeni Malkin tied his career high with a six-game goal scoring streak from Jan. 13-22 (9 total). • Evgeni Malkin was NHL ‘Third Star’ for the week of Jan. 9-15 (5G-2A) and ‘First Star’ for the week of Jan. 16-22 (5G-2A). • Marc-Andre Fleury appeared in his 400th NHL game vs. New Jersey Jan. 7. • Evgeni Malkin notched his eighth career hat trick and added two assists for his fifth career five-point game at Tampa Bay Jan. 15. • Paul Martin collected his 200th NHL point (assist) vs. Carolina Jan. 17.

• Chris Kunitz appeared in his 500th NHL game at St. Louis Jan. 24.

FEBRUARY • Evgeni Malkin scored a goal in eight straight home games between Jan. 7-Feb. 12, tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history (Mario Lemieux; 11 games; 1996). • Evgeni Malkin was NHL ‘Second Star’ for the week of Feb. 6-12 (3G-5A). • Richard Park scored his 100th NHL goal vs. Winnipeg Feb. 11. • Evgeni Malkin tallied five points (1G-4A) in his 400th NHL game vs. Winnipeg Feb. 11. It was his sixth-career five-point game. • Marc-Andre Fleury tied Tom Barrasso’s franchise record with his 22nd career shutout in a 2-0 win vs. New York Rangers Feb. 21. • Evgeni Malkin notched his 300th NHL assist vs. New York Rangers Feb. 21. • Evgeni Malkin notched his ninth career hat trick vs. Tampa Bay Feb. 25. • Head coach Dan Bylsma became the fourthfastest coach in NHL history to reach 150 career wins (251 games) vs. Columbus Feb. 26. • Brad Thiessen earned his first NHL win in his NHL debut by making 22 saves on 24 shots vs. Columbus Feb. 26.

MARCH • Pittsburgh clinched its sixth-consecutive playoff berth following a 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on March 22 at CONSOL Energy Center. • The Penguins posted an NHL-season-high 11-game winning streak from Feb. 21-March 17. During that stretch the Penguins outscored foes by a 43-17 margin. It was the NHL’s longest winning streak since the Penguins won 12 straight games from Nov. 17-Dec. 11, 2010.

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• The Penguins won 10 consecutive home games between Feb. 21-March 25 – tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history (11 games; Jan. 5-March 7, 1991). • Penguins became just the second team in NHL history to win 20 or more road games for six consecutive seasons when they recorded their 20th road win of the season at New Jersey March 17 (Montreal; 7 years; 1972-73 to ’78-79). • Penguins tied the franchise record by going nine straight games without allowing a power-play goal from Feb. 26-March 17.

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 18

• Brian Strait tallied his first NHL point (assist) vs. NY Islanders March 27. • Sidney Crosby became the seventh-fastest (430 games) and seventh-youngest (24 years, 236 days) player in NHL history to reach 600 career points at Buffalo March 30. • Evgeni Malkin scored his career-high 48th goal at Buffalo March 30. • Brooks Orpik collected his 100th NHL assist at Buffalo March 30.

• Evgeni Malkin was named NHL ‘Second Star’ for March after leading all scorers with 23 points (11G-12A) in 15 contests.

• Pascal Dupuis notched his career-high 29th assist at Buffalo March 30.

• Evgeni Malkin was named NHL ‘First Star’ for the week of March 19-25 (5G-4A).

APRIL

• Jordan Staal had a career-long 10-game assist/ point streak (3G-10A) from Feb. 25-March 17. • James Neal appeared in his 300th NHL game vs. Toronto March 7. • James Neal notched his 200th NHL point (goal) vs. Boston March 11. • Evgeni Malkin tallied his 500th NHL point (assist) vs. Boston March 11. • James Neal collected his 100th NHL assist at NY Rangers March 15. • Matt Cooke established a career high by scoring his 16th goal at New Jersey March 17. • Brooks Orpik moved into second place on the all-time franchise list for games played by a defenseman (574) at Philadelphia March 18. • Pascal Dupuis established a career high by scoring his 21st goal vs. Winnipeg March 20. • James Neal tallied his second career hat trick and had a career-high four points vs. Winnipeg March 20. • Evgeni Malkin scored his 200th NHL goal vs. Winnipeg March 20. • James Neal collected a single-game career-high four assists vs. Nashville March 22.

• The Penguins established the second-highest single-season win (51) and point (108) totals in franchise history vs. Philadelphia April 7. • Evgeni Malkin became the third Penguins player (Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr) to win multiple Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer after finishing the season with a league-best 109 points (50G-59A). Malkin’s scoring title gives the Penguins’ organization 14 of the last 24 NHL scoring champions. • Pittsburgh established a franchise record by finishing the regular season with an 87.8% success rate on the penalty kill (previous best was 86.4% in 1997-98). • Pascal Dupuis established an NHL-season-high 17-game point streak from March 7-April 7 (10G-12A). Dupuis’ streak is the second-longest in the NHL over the previous two seasons behind linemate Sidney Crosby’s 25-game streak last season. • Sidney Crosby surpassed Jean Pronovost to take over sole possession of fifth place on the franchise’s all-time point list with 604 following his goal at Boston April 3.

• Pascal Dupuis established a career high by recording his 49th point vs. New Jersey March 25.

• James Neal became the first Pittsburgh winger to score 40 goals in a single season since Jaromir Jagr (52 goals) and Alexei Kovalev (44) in 2000-01 with his power-play goal at Boston April 3.

• Marc-Andre Fleury notched his career-high 41st victory vs. New Jersey March 25.

• Craig Adams notched his career-high 13th assist at Boston April 3.

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• Marc-Andre Fleury equaled Tom Barrasso’s alltime franchise record with his 226th victory vs. NY Rangers April 5. • Chris Kunitz tallied his 200th NHL assist vs. NY Rangers April 5. • Kris Letang tied his career high with his 10th goal vs. NY Rangers April 5. • Evgeni Malkin became the ninth player in franchise history to score 50 goals vs. Philadelphia April 7. • Chris Kunitz established career highs with his 26th goal and 61st point vs. Philadelphia April 7. He equaled his career high with his 35th assist. • Jordan Staal established a career high with his 50th point vs. Philadelphia April 7.

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 19

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 20

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

FAST FACTS

Scoring First: Opponent Scoring First:

35-8-4 16-17-2

Outshooting Opponent: Outshot by Opponent: Shots Even:

34-21-3 17-4-3 0-0-0

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

24-6-4 32-0-3 9-13-1 8-19-2

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

17-9-6 13-10 21-6

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

20-0-0 14-3-0 8-5-1 9-17-5

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

1-9-0 4-5-0 12-7-4 34-4-2

First-Half Record: Second-Half Record:

21-16-4 30-9-2

Record by Month: October: November: December: January: February: March: April:

8-3-2 6-4-2 7-6-0 8-4-0 8-4-1 11-3-1 3-1-0

Home Record: Road Record:

29-10-2 22-15-4

Record in Back-to-Back Games: First Game: Second Game: 11-12 Overtime Record: All-Time Overtime Record:

9-6-2 12-3-2

11-6 154-119-176

11-12 Shootout Record:

9-3

Record vs. Eastern Conference: Vs. Atlantic Division: 13-10-1 Vs. Northeast Division: 11-8-1 Vs. Southeast Division: 14-5-1 Record vs. Western Conference: Vs. Central Division: Vs. Northwest Division: Vs. Pacific Division:

GOALS GOALS FOR

1st

2nd

3rd

OT (SO)

TOTAL

106

273

AGAINST

218

SHOTS SHOTS ON GOAL FOR

1st

2nd

3rd

OT (SO)

TOTAL

873

944

918

2779

AGAINST

710

772

731

2247

4-1-1 4-1-1 5-0-1

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 21

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Games Played Craig Adams Matt Cooke Pascal Dupuis Chris Kunitz Points Evgeni Malkin James Neal Chris Kunitz Pascal Dupuis

82 82 82 82

109 81 61 59

Goals Evgeni Malkin James Neal Chris Kunitz Jordan Staal Pascal Dupuis

50 40 26 25 25

Assists Evgeni Malkin James Neal Chris Kunitz Pascal Dupuis

59 41 35 34

Shots Evgeni Malkin James Neal Chris Kunitz

339 329 230

Shooting Percentage Jordan Staal 16.8 Richard Park 15.9 Evgeni Malkin 14.7 Penalty Minutes James Neal Arron Asham Evgeni Malkin

87 76 70

Average Ice Time Kris Letang 24:50 Paul Martin 23:00 Brooks Orpik 22:33

Game-Winning Goals Evgeni Malkin Pascal Dupuis James Neal Matt Cooke Richard Park

9 8 4 4 4

Even-Strength Goals Evgeni Malkin 38 James Neal 22 Pascal Dupuis 22

Shorthanded Assists Craig Adams Matt Cooke Jordan Staal

3 2 2

Shorthanded Points Jordan Staal Matt Cooke Pascal Dupuis Craig Adams

5 4 3 3

Even-Strength Assists Evgeni Malkin 37 Pascal Dupuis 33 James Neal 29

Faceoff Percentage Joe Vitale 55.7 Richard Park 55.7 Jordan Staal 51.0 Sidney Crosby 50.1

Even-Strength Points Evgeni Malkin 75 Pascal Dupuis 55 James Neal 51

Faceoffs Taken Evgeni Malkin 1210 Jordan Staal 1158 Joe Vitale 723

Power-Play Goals James Neal Evgeni Malkin Chris Kunitz

Goaltender — Games Marc-Andre Fleury 67 Brent Johnson 16 Brad Thiessen 5

Power-Play Assists Evgeni Malkin Steve Sullivan James Neal Chris Kunitz Power-Play Points Evgeni Malkin James Neal Steve Sullivan Shorthanded Goals Pascal Dupuis Jordan Staal Matt Cooke

18 12 6

22 16 12 12

34 30 21

3 3 2

Goaltender — Wins Marc-Andre Fleury 42 Brent Johnson 6 Brad Thiessen 3 Goals-Against Average Marc-Andre Fleury 2.36 Brent Johnson 3.11 Brad Thiessen 3.72 Save Percentage Marc-Andre Fleury .913 Brent Johnson .883 Brad Thiessen .858 Minutes Played Marc-Andre Fleury 3896 Brent Johnson 811 Brad Thiessen 258

Section Two • 2011-12 Regular-Season Review • 22

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2011-12

FINAL SEASON STATS Player

Pos

+/-

PIM

TOI/G

Sft/G

FO%

Evgeni Malkin

109

James Neal

339

14.7