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2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season 

2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins
Eastern Conference Champions
Atlantic Division Champions
Division 1st Atlantic
Conference 2nd Eastern
2007–08 record 47–27–8
Home record 26–10–5
Road record 21–17–3
Goals for 247
Goals against 216
General Manager Ray Shero
Coach Michel Therrien
Captain Sidney Crosby
Alternate captains Sergei Gonchar
Gary Roberts
Mark Recchi (Oct-Dec)
Arena Mellon Arena
Average attendance 17,077 (100.7%)
Team leaders
Goals Evgeni Malkin (47)
Assists Evgeni Malkin (59)
Points Evgeni Malkin (106)
Penalties in minutes Georges Laraque (139)
Plus/Minus Sidney Crosby (+18)
Wins Marc-Andre Fleury (19)
Goals against average Marc-Andre Fleury (2.32)

The 2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Pittsburgh Penguins 40th season in the National Hockey League. The regular season began on October 5, 2007 against the Carolina Hurricanes and concluded on April 6, 2008 against the rival Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins looked to improve upon their progress in the 2006–07 season, after being eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Ottawa Senators. During the season, the Penguins wore gold patches with "250" on them, honoring the city of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary in 2008.

During the regular season, the Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Montreal Canadiens. With a 12-2 record, the team eliminated the Senators, the New York Rangers, and the Flyers, on their way to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, the franchise's first in 16 years. The team was defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Detroit Red Wings in Game Six.[1]

Contents

Pre-season events

See also: 2007–08 NHL transactions

The Penguins offseason activities began in May 2007, with the team naming Sidney Crosby its captain. At just 19 years old, Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history.[2] Crosby became the first Penguins captain since the retirement of Mario Lemieux in January 2006, following a season of four alternate captain's in Crosby, Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, and John LeClair. Veteran Gary Roberts was named as an alternate captain for the new season, joining Recchi and Gonchar.

The 2007 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 22 and 23 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. With the 20th overall pick, the Penguins selected Angelo Esposito of the Quebec Remparts in the first round. The Penguins selected eight players (five forwards and three defensemen) in six of the seven rounds. All of the players remained with various junior league teams in Canada.

The free agency period began on July 1. The Penguins saw forward Michel Ouellet and goaltender Jocelyn Thibault leave as free agents to Tampa Bay and Buffalo. To fill openings in the Penguins roster, the team signed goaltender Dany Sabourin, defenceman Darryl Sydor, and forwards Petr Sykora [3] and Adam Hall. The organization also signed forwards Nathan Smith, Chris Minard [4] and Jeff Taffe,[5] as well as goaltender Ty Conklin [6] for their AHL minor league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins also extended head coach Michel Therrien's contract through the 2008-09 season.[7]

On September 17, the NHL announced that on January 1, 2008, the Penguins would travel to Orchard Park, New York to play the Buffalo Sabres outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the "AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic".[8] The event marked the first time a regular-season contest was played outdoors in the United States.

Regular season

See also: 2007–08 NHL season

The Penguins began the regular season on October 5 visiting the Carolina Hurricanes. The team played their home-opener against the Anaheim Ducks on October 6 in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 17,132, the first of 41 sellouts over the course of the season. Through Thanksgiving, the Penguins had acquired a record of 8–13–2, including a four-game losing streak in November, their longest of the season, and all against Atlantic Division teams. Including a Thanksgiving Day shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins won seven of eight games. Beginning on December 23, the Penguins complied a point streak of ten games, including eight consecutive victories, the most during the season. In January and February, the team was 16–6–5, climbing the conference standings with the help of goaltender Ty Conklin and center Evgeni Malkin. During the final full month, in March, the team was 10–4–1, and 7–0–0 at home in Mellon Arena. The team concluded the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Flyers, with each team winning a game.

Roster changes

On December 5, following talk of the team's future with Mark Recchi, the team placed the veteran right wing on waivers. After clearing without being claimed, Recchi was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League the next day. [9] [10] The following day, before playing a game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Recchi was placed on re-entry waivers, where he could again be claimed by another team. On Saturday, December 8, Recchi was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers, with whom he joined the following Tuesday. The Penguins and the Trashers would split the remaining cost of his $ 1.75 million contract. [11]

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury sustained a high-ankle sprain against the Calgary Flames on December 6. Following the injury, Fleury was ruled out for six to eight weeks. [12] The Penguins recalled Ty Conklin to serve as a back-up to Dany Sabourin. Conklin started for the first time on December 20, winning the game 5–4 in a shootout. After winning his first nine starts, Conklin lost his first game, a shootout, on January 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Before Fleury returned on March 2, Conklin recorded a record of 17–4–5, while Sabourin went 4–6–0.

Evgeni Malkin finished second in total points with 106, in his second year in the league.
Evgeni Malkin finished second in total points with 106, in his second year in the league.

In late December, defenceman Mark Eaton became inactive after sustaining a serious knee injury that required surgery. [13] Veteran wing and alternate captain Gary Roberts suffered from a broken fibula on December 29. [14] Forward Maxime Talbot missed 20 games in December and January with a high ankle sprain. [15] Adam Hall missed 33 games in January, February, and March after sustaining a serious sports hernia, before returning on April 2.[16]

Following the release of Recchi in early December, and injury to Roberts near the end of the month, the Penguins assigned two new alternate captains, with Ryan Malone serving for home games, and Darryl Sydor for away games. [17]

Captain Sidney Crosby also sustained a high ankle sprain on January 18 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and was ruled out for six to eight weeks.[18] Crosby returned on March 4, playing in three games before being removed from the lineup again on March 12. After missing the next seven games, Crosby returned against the New York Islanders on March 27, after missing 28 games.[19] The injury forced Crosby to miss the All-Star Game, where he was the leading vote-getter for the second year in a row. [20] Teammate Evgeni Malkin was selected to play for the Eastern Conference team in place of the injured Crosby. [21] By the end of the season, the Penguins had missed a combined total of over 280 man games due to injury.

On February 26, just hours before the trade deadline, the Penguins made a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers to acquire right wings Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis in exchange for wing Colby Armstrong, center Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito, and a 1st round pick in the 2008 draft.[22] In another trade, the Pens brought in the 6-foot-7 defenceman Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second-round pick in the 2008 draft, and a fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft.[23]

Following the injury to Crosby, a make-shift line composed of Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora, and Ryan Malone dubbed the “Steel City Line” helped sustain the Penguins standing, scoring 50 goals during the 28-game span, and helping the Penguins clinch a playoff spot for the second year in a row.citation needed

The Penguins also benefited from the success of several players who were called up from the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Forward Tyler Kennedy was first recalled on October 27.[24] Defenceman Kris Letang was recalled on November 13 and immediately contributed to the Penguins shootout, making all five of his first attempts, including during the Winter Classic on January 1. Of his five shots, three won the game for the Penguins.[25] Kennedy and Letang were selected to compete in the YoungStars competition during the All-Star break.[26] Forward Jeff Taffe, a former first-round pick, saw substantial playing time as a result of the various injuries, after being recalled on December 19.[27]

Winter Classic

The Winter Classic set the record for highest attendance in an NHL game.
The Winter Classic set the record for highest attendance in an NHL game.
Main article: AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic

With an attendance of 71,417, the Winter Classic on January 1, 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium easily surpassed the NHL single-game record set on November 22, 2003, when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, before 57,167 fans in the Heritage Classic. The New Years Day game between the Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres was broadcasted nationwide on NBC in the United States, CBC in Canada, all Westwood One affiliates in the US and Canada, and on XM satellite radio. The Penguins defeated the Sabres, 2-1, on a shootout goal from Sidney Crosby.

Fan support

Colby Armstrong and Maxime Talbot appear in a popular commercial for a Pittsburgh-based luxury car dealership.
Colby Armstrong and Maxime Talbot appear in a popular commercial for a Pittsburgh-based luxury car dealership.

On December 21, 2007, at a game against the New York Islanders, the Penguins tied a franchise record with 30 straight regular-season sellouts, dating to the second half of the 2006–07 season.[28] The record was surpassed at the next home game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, with the 31st consecutive sellout of the regular season.[29] On March 12, against the Buffalo Sabres, with a standing-room-only crowd of 17,132, the Penguins set a franchise record after selling out all 35 games to date, surpassing the record set during the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons when the Penguins sold out 34 of 40 home games.[30] For the first time in the franchise's 41-year history, the team sold out all 41 home games, concluding with their Atlantic Division-clinching victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on April 2.[31] At 17,089, the average attendance for a home game was greater than Mellon Arena's seating capacity of 16,940; causing the team's season attendance to exceed 100% capacity. The 67 consecutive sellout attracted 888,653 total fans, a record for home attendance for the franchise.[32]

The March 27 game against the Islanders received a TV rating of 10.7, the second highest rating all-time for a Penguins game. The only game to draw a higher rating, at 15.9, was the comeback of Mario Lemieux against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 27, 2000. The flagship station for Penguins televion broadcasts, FSN Pittsburgh, had the highest-rated NHL broadcasts of any of the Fox Sports Net regional affiliates for the second year in a row.[33]

Strong support from fans continued into the playoffs, as the Penguins sold out their first two home games in 11 minutes.[34] The team erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena, allowing fans to watch all playoff games outside of the stadium, free of charge.[35] A rally scheduled by Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl took place in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse prior to Game Two of their first-round series on April 11, 2008.[36] The Penguins third game of the playoffs attracted the third-highest regional viewing audience all-time for a Penguins game.[37] The 4200 tickets offered for the teams first two home games of Round Two sold out within 10 minutes.[38] As the playoffs advanced into the latter rounds, the team had growing support from players and coaches of other teams in Pittsburgh, including the Steelers and Pirates.[39][40] Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Mike Tomlin, watched Game Six of the finals outside Mellon Arena, along with 3,000 other fans, on a JumboTron which had been erected for fans unable to acquire tickets to the sold-out game.[41] Prior to the Stanley Cup Finals the mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl, led a rally in the city's Market Square which featured chanting by the several hundred people in attendance, cooked Octopus was also served by Wholey's Fish Market in reference to the Detroit tradition of throwing Octopi onto the ice.[42] The team also opened up Mellon Arena for fans to watch games played in Detroit on the JumboTron during the Stanley Cup Finals, over 13,500 people attended Game One.[43] Fans who attended the Mellon Arena to watch the three games played in Detroit during the Stanley Cup Final raised over $85,000 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research.[32]

In an annual survey of over 80,000 fans conducted by ESPN The Magazine titled "Ultimate Standings: Fan Satisfaction Rankings," the Penguins ranked as the best National Hockey League team in terms of fan relations. The team also ranked third in that category, out of all 122 major sports franchises of the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL. In the overall standings, the Penguins ranked seventh in the NHL, and 24th of the 122.[44] During the 2006-07 season, the team ranked 11th in the NHL, and 35th overall.[45]

Plans for the future

During the All-Star break, the league announced that the Penguins would open the 2008–09 season with games on October 4 and 5 against the Ottawa Senators at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Also, the New York Rangers would open against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic.[46] Later, on March 12, the league and the NHL Players Association announced that the Penguins would play an exhibition game against Jokerit of the SM-liiga, the top professional league in Finland, on October 2, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki.[47]

Progess was made towards the team's new arena on March 22, when the former St. Francis Hospital, across the street from Mellon Arena was imploded. Following debris removal and site preparation, groundbreaking for construction will begin in the summer. [48]

Season results

The Penguins clinched their second consecutive playoff berth on March 25 in a 2–0 victory against the New Jersey Devils.[49]

On April 2, the Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division for the first time ever, when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4–2.[50] The division championship was the first for the Penguins since winning the Northeast Division in 1998. The Penguins are only two years removed from their last-place Eastern Conference finish in 2006.[51].

The Penguins earned the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It was the best finish by the team since finishing second in the 1997–98 season. The 102 points the Penguins gained during the season was the team's fifth 100-point season since their last Stanley Cup victory during the 1991–92 season.

Standings

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division GP W L OTL GF GA PTS
y-Pittsburgh Penguins 82 47 27 8 247 216 102
x-New Jersey Devils 82 46 29 7 206 197 99
x-New York Rangers 82 42 27 13 213 199 97
x-Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 29 11 248 233 95
e-New York Islanders 82 35 38 9 194 243 79

Conference standings

Eastern Conference GP W L OTL GF GA PTS
z-Montreal Canadiens * 82 47 25 10 262 222 104
y-Pittsburgh Penguins * 82 47 27 8 247 216 102
y-Washington Capitals * 82 43 31 8 242 231 94
x-New Jersey Devils 82 46 29 7 206 197 99
x-New York Rangers 82 42 27 13 213 199 97
x-Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 29 11 248 233 95
x-Ottawa Senators 82 43 31 8 261 247 94
x-Boston Bruins 82 41 29 12 212 222 94
e-Carolina Hurricanes 82 43 33 6 252 249 92
e-Buffalo Sabres 82 39 31 12 255 242 90
e-Florida Panthers 82 38 35 9 216 226 85
e-Toronto Maple Leafs 82 36 35 11 231 260 83
e-New York Islanders 82 35 38 9 194 243 79
e-Atlanta Thrashers 82 34 40 8 216 272 76
e-Tampa Bay Lightning 82 31 42 9 223 267 71

x - clinched playoff spot, y - clinched division title, z - clinched best conference record, e - eliminated from playoff contention, * - division leader

Schedule and results

  • Green background indicates win (2 points).
  • Red background indicates regulation loss (0 points).
  • White background indicates overtime/shootout loss (1 point).
2007–08 Game Log

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Penguins opened the playoffs against the 7th-seed Ottawa Senators, in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. In the opening game on April 9 in Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena, the Penguins defeated the Senators 4–0. Evgeni Malkin scored his first career playoff goal, Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his first career playoff shutout, Petr Sykora added a goal, and Gary Roberts scored twice.[52] In Game Two, the Penguins took a lead of 3–0 following a goal from Sergei Gonchar and two from Petr Sykora. The Senators came back to tie the game in the third period, before Ryan Malone scored twice to give the Penguins their second victory in the series.[53] The Pens got four unanswered goals from Max Talbot, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Marian Hossa to defeat the Senators 4-1 in Game Three, the first game in Ottawa's Scotiabank Place. [54] Two days later, the Penguins managed to eliminate the Senators in four games, the only team to do so in the first round. The team got goals from Malkin, Crosby, and the series-winner from Jarkko Ruutu in the second period to defeat the Senators, 3-1.[55] The Penguins were the first team to advance from the opening round. The series win was the team's first since 2001, and the first sweep of a playoff series in 16 years.[56]

Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Penguins began the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlantic Division rival New York Rangers on April 25. The team overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Rangers, 5-4. Marian Hossa tied the game 4:40 into the third period, and Petr Sykora took the lead twenty seconds later. After Scott Gomez tied the game at four, Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal, tipping in a shot by Sidney Crosby with 1:41 left.[57] In Game Two, Jordan Staal scored a powerplay goal to take a 1-0 lead. In the last minute, Adam Hall shot the puck down ice, and it drifted into the empty net. Marc-Andre Fleury saved all 26 shots, and the Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the series.[58] The Penguins entered Game Three after going 0-3-1 in Madison Square Gardens during the regular season. They led 3-1 after the first period, before Jaromir Jagr tied the game. Malkin scored on the powerplay with 2:07 left in the second period to take the lead, and Malone added a goal in the third to give the Pens a 5-3 win, and a 3-0 series lead.[59] The Penguins lost their first game of the post-season in Game Four against the Rangers. Jaromir Jagr scored in the second period, Brandon Dubinsky in the third, and Jagr scored an empty net goal in the last minute to force Game Five.[60] In Game Five, the Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the second period after goals from Malkin and Hossa, before the Rangers tied in the third. The game entered overtime, the first of the playoffs for the Penguins, where Hossa scored his second goal of the game 7:10 in. With the goal, the Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.[61]

Eastern Conference Finals

The Eastern Conference finals began between the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on May 9. Evgeni Malkin scored with 7 seconds left in the first period to take a 3-2 lead, and extended the advantage with a shorthanded goal in the second period, giving the Penguins a 1-0 advantage in the series.[62] In Game Two, Max Talbot scored to take the lead in the third period, and Jordan Staal added an empty-net goal to give the Penguins a 4-2 win, and a 2-0 series lead. The win was the Penguins seventh consecutive home playoff win, a franchise record, improving on a six-game streak in the 1992. The Penguins also became only the fifth team to start the playoffs with a 10-1 record, and the first since the Detroit Red Wings in 1995.[63] Game Three saw the series move across state to Philidelphia, the Penguins struck quickly getting goals from Ryan Whitney and Hossa within the first eight minutes.[64] Hossa added his second goal, on an empty net, to seal the victory. With the win the Penguins become the first team since the 1983 Edmonton Oilers to start the playoffs 11-1.[64] The Penguins failed to close out the Eastern Conference Finals with a sweep of the Flyers in Game Four, losing 4-2. The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. The Penguins fought back getting two goals from Jordan Staal in the third period, but Joffrey Lupul's second goal, on an empty net, sealed the win for the Flyers.[65] The series returned to Pittsburgh for Game Five, where the Penguins won their eighth consecutive home game and the Prince of Wales Trophy, by a final score of 6-0.[66]

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 2008 Stanley Cup Finals

The Penguins will played Detroit Red Wings for the Stanley Cup. The best-of-7 game series began in Detroit on May 24, the first series the Penguins opened on the road. It was the third Stanley Cup Finals appearance for the Penguins franchise, the first since back-to-back victories during the 1991 and 1992 seasons. The Red Wings made their 23rd appearance, and first since 2002. The series ended on June 4 with the Red Wings winning in six games.

In Game 1 at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings opened scoring in the 2nd period with a goal from Mikael Samuelsson, before finishing with three goals in the 3rd period, from Samuelsson, Dan Cleary, and Henrik Zetterberg.[67] In preparation for Game Two head coach, Michel Therrien, revised Pittsburgh's lines; the revision included Gary Roberts who did not play in Game One.[68] In Game Two, the Penguins were shut out for the second consecutive game. Detroit's Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmström scored in the first period and Valtteri Filppula added a third goal in the third period. Pittsburgh struggled, failing to direct a shot on goal for the first twelve minutes of the game.[69] Pittsburgh shuffled their lineup again prior to Game Three, replacing defensman Kris Letang with Darryl Sydor.[70] Game Three saw the Penguins score their first goal of the finals, when Sidney Crosby netted a wrist shot 17:25 into the opening period. Crosby added his second goal of the game early in the second period, on the Power Play. In the third Adam Hall added the game winning goal in the final period, with assists from Maxime Talbot and Gary Roberts. The Penguins held off a late charge by the Red Wings to win their first game of the Stanley Cup Fianl, by a score of 3-2.[71] Entering Game Four, Petr Sykora said the game was a must-win for the Penguins, "For us, basically, [Game 4] is a do-or-die game".[72] The Penguins, however, were unable to prevail in Game Four. Despite an early goal from Marian Hossa, the Penguins were unable to hold off the Red Wings, who got goals from Nicklas Lidstrom and Jiri Hudler. The Penguins inability to capitalize on a 5-on-3 advantage which lasted for 1:26, sealed the third victory of the series for the Red Wings.[73] In Game Five of the series, Pittsburgh faced elimination in Detroit where they had not yet won in the series. Down 3-2 with 35 seconds remaining in regulation, Maxime Talbot scored for the Penguins, who had pulled goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. The goal tied the game at three, forcing it into sudden-death overtime. In the third overtime period, Petr Sykora scored at the 109:21 mark of the game, to give the Penguins the victory and force Game Six. Sykora's goal was assisted by Evgeni Malkin, who had struggled in the series, and Sergei Gonchar, who was returning for his first shift in fifty minutes due to an injury. The fifth-longest Stanley Cup game in history, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 55 shots, 24 of the shots were in overtime.[74] Ryan Malone played in Game Six, despite being hit in the face with the puck in Game Five. It was said the Penguins "seemed almost in awe of the way Malone reacted to a significant facial injury the way most people would a paper cut."[75] In Game Six, Pittsburgh got goals from Evgeni Malkin, his first in Stanley Cup Final play, and Marian Hossa. Entering the final minute and trailing by one, Pittsburgh pulled Fleury, hoping for a second consecutive desperation goal; a tipped shot which passed in between goalie Chris Osgood and the goal, did not enter the net, giving Detroit the victory. Pittsburgh's final defeat of the season was by a final score of 3-2.[76] [77]

Playoff log

  • Green background indicates win,
  • Red indicates loss.
2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs