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
Team information
General manager	Ray Shero
Coach	Michel Therrien
Captain	Sidney Crosby
Alternate captains	Sergei Gonchar Gary Roberts Mark Recchi (Oct–Dec) Ryan Malone (Dec-Apr) Darryl Sydor (Dec–Mar)[1]
Arena	Mellon Arena
Average attendance	17,089 (100.7%)
Team leaders
Goals	Evgeni Malkin (47)
Assists	Evgeni Malkin (59)
Points	Evgeni Malkin (106)
Penalty minutes	Georges Laraque (139)
Plus/minus	Sidney Crosby (+18)
Wins	Marc-Andre Fleury (19)
Goals against average	Marc-Andre Fleury (2.33)
← 2023–24

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.

Evgeni Malkin scored 106 points in the regular season, helping to offset the gap left while Sidney Crosby was injured. Goaltender Ty Conklin replaced Marc-Andre Fleury, who was also injured, to win 18 games. The team surpassed their record for total attendance, selling out all 41 home games for the first time in franchise history. The Penguins also participated in the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic—the outdoor game set the NHL single-game attendance record.

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

Season events

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; Crosby, Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, and John LeClair served as alternate captains after Lemieux's retirement. Veteran Gary Roberts was named as an alternate captain for the new season, joining Recchi and Gonchar. The Penguins also extended head coach Michel Therrien's contract through the 2008-09 season.^[3]

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".^[4] The event marked the first time a regular-season contest was played outdoors in the United States.

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 November 21, the Penguins acquired an underachieving record of 8–11–2, going a dismal 2-6-1 against Atlantic Division teams in November including a four-game losing streak, their longest of the season. Commencing with a pivotal Thanksgiving Day shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins then won seven of the next eight games, including the franchise's first sweep of a Western Canada road trip. Beginning on December 23, the Penguins compiled a point streak of ten games, including eight consecutive victories, the longest winning streak for the Penguins in nearly ten years. 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.

The Penguins suffered from several injuries during the season. Many of the injuries were long-term. By the end of the season, the team had missed a combined total of over 280 man games due to injury. 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.^[5] The Penguins recalled Ty Conklin from the AHL to serve as a back-up to Dany Sabourin on an emergency basis. Conklin started for the first time on December 20, winning the game 5–4 in a shootout. After winning his first nine starts and supplanting Sabourin as the starting goaltender, Conklin lost his first game, a shootout, on January 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Before Fleury's eventual return as a starter on March 2, Conklin recorded a record of 17–6–5, while Sabourin went 4–6–0.

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.^[6] 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.^[7] The injury forced Crosby to miss the All-Star Game, where he was the leading vote-getter for the second year in a row.^[8] Teammate Evgeni Malkin was selected to play for the Eastern Conference team in place of the injured Crosby.^[9]

Following the release of Recchi in early December and injuries to Crosby and Roberts (Recchi's replacement), Sergei Gonchar remained the Penguins only active captain. The team assigned two new alternate captains with Ryan Malone and Darryl Sydor serving during the injuries.^[10]

After the injury to Crosby on January 18, a make-shift line composed of Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora, and Ryan Malone dubbed the “Steel City Line”^[11] helped sustain the Penguins standing. Malkin scored 46 points during Crosby's absence.^[12]

Winter Classic

With an attendance of 71,417, the Winter Classic on January 1, 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium surpassed the NHL single-game attendance 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

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.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16] 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.^[17]

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.^[18]

Strong support from fans continued into the playoffs, as the Penguins sold out their first two home games in 11 minutes.^[19] 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.^[20] 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.^[21] The Penguins' third game of the playoffs attracted the third-highest regional viewing audience all-time for a Penguins game.^[22] The 4,200 tickets offered for the team's first two home games of Round Two sold out within 10 minutes.^[23] As the playoffs advanced into the later rounds, the team had growing support from players and coaches of other teams in Pittsburgh, including the Steelers and Pirates, and many of the players attended games.^[24][25] Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watched Game Six of the finals outside Mellon Arena, along with 3,000 other fans.^[26] Prior to the Stanley Cup Final, Mayor 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.^[27] The team also opened up Mellon Arena for fans to watch away games on the JumboTron during the Stanley Cup Final; over 13,500 people attended Game One.^[28] Fans who visited the Igloo to watch the three games played in Detroit raised over $85,000 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research.^[17] The Penguins also ranked first in the league in merchandise sales.^[29]

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.^[30] During the 2006-07 season, the team ranked 11th in the NHL, and 35th overall.^[31]

File:Evgeni Malkin2.jpg

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.^[32] 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.^[33]

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.^[34] Following debris removal and site preparation, groundbreaking for construction began in the summer.^[35]

Season results

The Penguins clinched their second consecutive playoff berth on March 25 in a 2–0 victory against the New Jersey Devils and earned the second-seed in the Eastern Conference.^[36] Two years removed from their last-place Eastern Conference finish in 2006,^[37] the Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division for the first time ever, when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4–2.^[38] The division championship was the first for the Penguins since winning the Northeast Division in 1998. 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. The Penguins raised banners for their top finishes in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division prior to their first game at Mellon Arena during the 2008–09 season.^[39]

Standings

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division

		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	47	27	8	247	216	102
2	New Jersey Devils	82	46	29	7	206	197	99
3	New York Rangers	82	42	27	13	213	199	97
4	Philadelphia Flyers	82	42	29	11	248	233	95
5	New York Islanders	82	35	38	9	194	243	79

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	z – Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	47	25	10	262	222	104
2	y – Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	47	27	8	247	216	102
3	y – Washington Capitals	SE	82	43	31	8	242	231	94
4	New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	29	7	206	197	99
5	New York Rangers	AT	82	42	27	13	213	199	97
6	Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	42	29	11	248	233	95
7	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	43	31	8	261	247	94
8	Boston Bruins	NE	82	41	29	12	212	222	94
8.5
9	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	43	33	6	252	249	92
10	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	39	31	12	255	242	90
11	Florida Panthers	SE	82	38	35	9	216	226	85
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	36	35	11	231	260	83
13	New York Islanders	AT	82	35	38	9	194	243	79
14	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	34	40	8	216	272	76
15	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	31	42	9	223	267	71

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

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
October: 6–4–1 (Home: 3–3–1 ; Road: 3–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Pittsburgh 1 – 4 Carolina Fleury 17,816 0–1–0 0 [1] 2 October 6 Anaheim 4 – 5 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 1–1–0 2 [2] 3 October 10 Montreal 3 – 2 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,006 1–2–0 2 [3] 4 October 13 Pittsburgh 6 – 4 Toronto Fleury 19,479 2–2–0 4 [4] 5 October 17 New Jersey 5 – 4 Pittsburgh Fleury 16,990 2–3–0 4 [5] 6 October 19 Carolina 3 – 4 Pittsburgh SO Sabourin 17,132 3–3–0 6 [6] 7 October 20 Pittsburgh 2 – 1 Washington Fleury 18,277 4–3–0 8 [7] 8 October 23 NY Rangers 0 – 1 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,012 5–3–0 10 [8] 9 October 25 Toronto 5 – 2 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,051 5–4–0 10 [9] 10 October 27 Montreal 4 – 3 Pittsburgh SO Sabourin 17,085 5–4–1 11 [10] 11 October 30 Pittsburgh 4 – 2 Minnesota Sabourin 18,568 6–4–1 13 [11]
November: 5–7–1 (Home: 3–3–1 ; Road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 1 Pittsburgh 2 – 3 Colorado Sabourin 18,007 6–5–1 13 [12] 13 November 3 Pittsburgh 2 – 3 NY Islanders Fleury 16,234 6–6–1 13 [13] 14 November 5 Pittsburgh 5 – 0 New Jersey Sabourin 14,032 7–6–1 15 [14] 15 November 7 Philadelphia 3 – 1 Pittsburgh Sabourin 17,132 7–7–1 15 [15] 16 November 8 Pittsburgh 2 – 4 NY Rangers Fleury 18,200 7–8–1 15 [16] 17 November 10 Pittsburgh 2 – 5 Philadelphia Fleury 19,859 7–9–1 15 [17] 18 November 12 New Jersey 3 – 2 Pittsburgh Sabourin 17,096 7–10–1 15 [18] 19 November 15 NY Islanders 2 – 3 Pittsburgh Fleury 16,972 8–10–1 17 [19] 20 November 17 NY Rangers 4 – 3 Pittsburgh OT Fleury 17,125 8–10–2 18 [20] 21 November 21 New Jersey 2 – 1 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 8–11–2 18 [21] 22 November 22 Pittsburgh 6 – 5 Ottawa SO Sabourin 20,061 9–11–2 20 [22] 23 November 24 Atlanta 0 – 5 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,125 10–11–2 22 [23] 24 November 30 Dallas 1 – 4 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 11–11–2 24 [24]
December: 9–5–0 (Home: 4–2–0 ; Road: 5–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 1 Pittsburgh 2 – 4 Toronto Sabourin 19,534 11–12–2 24 [25] 26 December 3 Phoenix 1 – 3 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 12–12–2 26 [26] 27 December 5 Pittsburgh 4 – 2 Edmonton Fleury 16,839 13–12–2 28 [27] 28 December 6 Pittsburgh 3 – 2 Calgary SO Sabourin 19,289 14–12–2 30 [28] 29 December 8 Pittsburgh 2 – 1 Vancouver SO Sabourin 18,630 15–12–2 32 [29] 30 December 11 Pittsburgh 2 – 8 Philadelphia Sabourin 19,409 15–13–2 32 [30] 31 December 13 Ottawa 4 – 1 Pittsburgh Sabourin 17,132 15–14–2 32 [31] 32 December 15 Pittsburgh 3 – 2 NY Islanders Sabourin 15,269 16–14–2 34 [32] 33 December 18 Pittsburgh 0 – 4 NY Rangers Sabourin 18,200 16–15–2 34 [33] 34 December 20 Pittsburgh 5 – 4 Boston SO Conklin 15,304 17–15–2 36 [34] 35 December 21 NY Islanders 4 – 2 Pittsburgh Sabourin 17,132 17–16–2 36 [35] 36 December 23 Boston 2 – 4 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,132 18–16–2 38 [36] 37 December 27 Washington 3 – 4 Pittsburgh OT Conklin 17,132 19–16–2 40 [37] 38 December 29 Buffalo 0 – 2 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,132 20–16–2 42 [38]
January: 8–3–2 (Home: 3–1–1 ; Road: 5–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 1 Pittsburgh 2 – 1 Buffalo SO Conklin 71,217 21–16–2 44 [39] 40 January 3 Toronto 2 – 6 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,074 22–16–2 46 [40] 41 January 5 Florida 0 – 3 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,090 23–16–2 48 [41] 42 January 8 Pittsburgh 3 – 1 Florida Conklin 17,086 24–16–2 50 [42] 43 January 10 Pittsburgh 4 – 1 Tampa Bay Conklin 20,406 25–16–2 52 [43] 44 January 12 Pittsburgh 2 – 3 Atlanta SO Conklin 18,545 25–16–3 53 [44] 45 January 14 NY Rangers 1 – 4 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,000 26–16–3 55 [45] 46 January 18 Tampa Bay 3 – 0 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,132 26–17–3 55 [46] 47 January 19 Pittsburgh 2 – 0 Montreal Sabourin 21,273 27–17–3 57 [47] 48 January 21 Washington 6 – 5 Pittsburgh SO Conklin 17,050 27–17–4 58 [48] 49 January 24 Pittsburgh 3 – 4 Philadelphia Conklin 19,807 27–18–4 58 [49] 50 January 29 Pittsburgh 4 – 2 New Jersey Conklin 13,595 28–18–4 60 [50] 51 January 30 Pittsburgh 1 – 4 Atlanta Conklin 14,070 28–19–4 60 [51]
February: 8–3–3 (Home: 5–1–2 ; Road: 3–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 52 February 2 Carolina 1 – 4 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,058 29–19–4 62 [52] 53 February 4 Pittsburgh 3 – 4 New Jersey OT Conklin 13,012 29–19–5 63 [53] 54 February 7 NY Islanders 3 – 4 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,075 30–19–5 65 [54] 55 February 9 Los Angeles 2 – 4 Pittsburgh Sabourin 17,034 31–19–5 67 [55] 56 February 10 Philadelphia 3 – 4 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,132 32–19–5 69 [56] 57 February 13 Boston 2 – 1 Pittsburgh Conklin 16,982 32–20–5 69 [57] 58 February 14 Pittsburgh 2 – 4 Carolina Sabourin 14,922 32–21–5 69 [58] 59 February 17 Pittsburgh 4 – 1 Buffalo Conklin 18,690 33–21–5 71 [59] 60 February 19 Florida 2 – 3 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,075 34–21–5 73 [60] 61 February 21 Pittsburgh 5 – 4 Montreal Sabourin 21,273 35–21–5 75 [61] 62 February 23 Ottawa 4 – 3 Pittsburgh OT Conklin 17,132 35–21–6 76 [62] 63 February 24 San Jose 2 – 1 Pittsburgh SO Conklin 17,132 35–21–7 77 [63] 64 February 26 Pittsburgh 4 – 2 NY Islanders Conklin 11,258 36–21–7 79 [64] 65 February 28 Pittsburgh 1 – 5 Boston Conklin 17,565 36–22–7 79 [65]
March: 10–4–1 (Home: 7–0–0 ; Road: 3–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 66 March 1 Pittsburgh 4 – 5 Ottawa Conklin 20,153 36–23–7 79 [66] 67 March 2 Atlanta 2 – 3 Pittsburgh SO Fleury 17,132 37–23–7 81 [67] 68 March 4 Pittsburgh 2 – 0 Tampa Bay Fleury 19,206 38–23–7 83 [68] 69 March 6 Pittsburgh 2 – 5 Florida Fleury 17,012 38–24–7 83 [69] 70 March 9 Pittsburgh 4 – 2 Washington Fleury 18,277 39–24–7 85 [70] 71 March 12 Buffalo 3 – 7 Pittsburgh Conklin 17,132 40–24–7 87 [71] 72 March 16 Philadelphia 1 – 7 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 41–24–7 89 [72] 73 March 18 Pittsburgh 2 – 5 NY Rangers Conklin 18,200 41–25–7 89 [73] 74 March 20 Tampa Bay 2 – 4 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,044 42–25–7 91 [74] 75 March 22 New Jersey 1 – 7 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 43–25–7 93 [75] 76 March 24 Pittsburgh 1 – 4 NY Islanders Conklin 16,234 43–26–7 93 [76] 77 March 25 Pittsburgh 2 – 0 New Jersey Fleury 16,292 44–26–7 95 [77] 78 March 27 NY Islanders 1 – 3 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,025 45–26–7 97 [78] 79 March 30 NY Rangers 1 – 3 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,020 46–26–7 99 [79] 80 March 31 Pittsburgh 1 – 2 NY Rangers OT Fleury 18,200 46–26–8 100 [80]
April: 1–1–0 (Home: 1–0–0 ; Road: 0–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 81 April 2 Philadelphia 2 – 4 Pittsburgh Fleury 17,132 47–26–8 102 [81] 82 April 6 Pittsburgh 0 – 2 Philadelphia Fleury 19,767 47–27–8 102 [82]

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. In the game, 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.^[40] 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.^[41] 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.^[42] 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.^[43] The Penguins were the first team to advance from the opening round. The series win was the team's first since the 2001 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the first sweep of a playoff series in 16 years.^[44]

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.^[45] 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.^[46] The Penguins entered Game Three after going 0-3-1 in Madison Square Garden 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.^[47] 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.^[48] 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.^[49]

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.^[50] 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 1991-1992 Stanley Cup playoffs. 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 Stanley Cup Playoffs.^[51] 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.^[52] 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.^[52] 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.^[53] The series returned to Pittsburgh for Game Five, where the Penguins won their eighth consecutive home game by a final score of 6-0, the Prince of Wales Trophy, and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.^[54]

Stanley Cup Final

File:PittsburghPenguinsBannerGrantAve2008.jpg

The Penguins faced the Western Conference Champion 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 consecutive victories during the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals and the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings made their 23rd appearance, and first since the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. The series ended on June 4 with the Red Wings winning in six games.

In Game One 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, shutting the Penguins out 4-0.^[55] 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.^[56]

In Game Two, the Penguins were shut out for a second time. 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.^[57] Pittsburgh shuffled their lineup again prior to Game Three, replacing defensman Kris Letang with Darryl Sydor.^[58]

Game Three saw the Penguins score their first goal of the Final, 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 Final by a score of 3-2.^[59]

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".^[60] 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.^[61]

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 removed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to gain an extra skater. 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 which he faced in overtime.^[62] 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."^[63]

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 for the second time that game, hoping to score with circumstances similar to Hossa's earlier goal. A tipped shot which passed in between Chris Osgood and the goal line as time expired did not enter the net, giving Detroit the victory. Pittsburgh's final defeat of the season was by a score of 3-2.^[64][65]

Playoff log

• Green background indicates win,
• Red indicates loss.

2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs #7 Ottawa: 4–0 (Home: 2–0 ; Road: 2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Pittsburgh goals Ottawa goals Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 9 Ottawa 0 – 4 Pittsburgh Roberts (2), Sykora, Malkin Fleury 17,132 1–0 [40] 2 April 11 Ottawa 3 – 5 Pittsburgh Gonchar, Sykora (2), Malone (2) Donovan, Stillman, Bass Fleury 17,132 2–0 [41] 3 April 14 Pittsburgh 4 – 1 Ottawa Talbot, Crosby, Staal, Hossa Foligno Fleury 19,961 3–0 [42] 4 April 16 Pittsburgh 3 - 1 Ottawa Malkin, Ruutu, Crosby Stillman Fleury 19,954 4-0 [43] Eastern Conference Semifinals vs #5 NY Rangers: 4–1 (Home: 3–0 ; Road: 1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Pittsburgh goals New York goals Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 25 NY Rangers 4 - 5 Pittsburgh Ruutu, Dupuis, Hossa, Sykora, Malkin Straka, Avery, Drury, Gomez Fleury 17,132 1-0 [45] 2 April 27 NY Rangers 0 - 2 Pittsburgh Staal, Hall Fleury 17,132 2-0 [46] 3 April 29 Pittsburgh 5 - 3 NY Rangers Hossa, Laraque, Malkin (2), Malone Straka, Callahan, Jagr Fleury 18,200 3-0 [47] 4 May 1 Pittsburgh 0 - 3 NY Rangers Jagr (2), Dubinsky Fleury 18,200 3-1 [48] 5 May 4 NY Rangers 2 - 3 Pittsburgh 1 Hossa (2), Malkin Korpikoski, Dawes Fleury 17,132 4-1 [49] Eastern Conference Finals vs #6 Philadelphia Flyers: 4–1 (Home: 3-0 ; Road: 1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Pittsburgh goals Philadelphia goals Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 9 Philadelphia 2 - 4 Pittsburgh Sykora, Crosby, Malkin (2) Richards (2) Fleury 17,132 1-0 [50] 2 May 11 Philadelphia 2 - 4 Pittsburgh Crosby, Hossa, Talbot, Staal Carter, Richards Fleury 17,132 2-0 [51] 3 May 13 Pittsburgh 4 - 1 Philadelphia Whitney, Hossa (2), Malone Umberger Fleury 19,965 3-0 [52] 4 May 15 Pittsburgh 2 - 4 Philadelphia Staal (2) Lupul (2), Briere, Carter Fleury 19,965 3-1 [53] 5 May 18 Philadelphia 0 - 6 Pittsburgh Malone (2), Malkin, Hossa, Staal, Dupuis Fleury 17,132 4-1 [54] Stanley Cup Finals vs #1 Detroit Red Wings: 2–4 (Home: 1-2 ; Road: 1–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Pittsburgh goals Detroit goals Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 24 Pittsburgh 0 - 4 Detroit Samuelsson (2), Cleary, Zetterberg Fleury 20,066 0-1 [55] 2 May 26 Pittsburgh 0 - 3 Detroit Stuart, Holmstrom, Filppula Fleury 20,066 0-2 [57] 3 May 28 Detroit 2 - 3 Pittsburgh Crosby (2), Hall Franzen, Samuelsson Fleury 17,132 1-2 [59] 4 May 31 Detroit 2 - 1 Pittsburgh Hossa Lidstrom, Hudler Fleury 17,132 1-3 [61] 5 June 2 Pittsburgh 4 - 3 Detroit 3 Hossa, Hall, Talbot, Sykora Helm, Datsyuk, Rafalsiki Fleury 20,066 2-3 [62] 6 June 4 Detroit 3 - 2 Pittsburgh Malkin, Hossa Rafalski, Filppula, Zetterberg Fleury 17,132 2-4 [64]

Player in italics scored winning goal.

Player stats

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; GS = Games Started; MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SA = Shots Against; SV = Saves; SV% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts

Regular Season Player GP GS MIN W L OTL GA GAA SA SV SV% SO Marc-Andre Fleury 35 33 1859 19 10 2 72 2.33 908 836 .921 4 Ty Conklin 33 30 1866 18 8 5 78 2.51 1013 935 .923 2 Dany Sabourin 24 19 1242 10 9 1 57 2.75 596 539 .904 2 Combined 47 27 8 207 2.51 2517 2310 .918 8

Playoffs Player GP GS MIN W L GA GAA SA SV SV% SO Marc-Andre Fleury 20 20 1252 14 6 41 1.97 610 569 0.933 3

Milestones and awards

Regular Season Milestones
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ryan Malone	200th PIM	October 5, 2007
Darryl Sydor	1100th game	October 10, 2007
Darryl Sydor	700th PIM	October 20, 2007
Georges Laraque	900th PIM	October 20, 2007
Gary Roberts	2500th PIM	November 8, 2007
Jarkko Ruutu	600th PIM	November 22, 2007
Gary Roberts	900th point	December 21, 2007
Petr Sykora	600th point	February 4, 2008
Sergei Gonchar	600th point	February 21, 2008
Ryan Malone	300th PIM	March 31, 2008
Marian Hossa	700th game	April 2, 2008

Tyler Kennedy, Jonathan Filewich, Chris Minard, and Alex Goligoski played in their first NHL games. Kennedy, Minard, and Connor James scored their first goals, while Goligoski, Ryan Stone, and Ty Conklin recorded first points. Evgeni Malkin recorded his first hat trick on January 3.

Playoff Milestones
Player	Milestone	Reached
Sergei Gonchar	50th playoff point	May 13, 2008
Marian Hossa	50th playoff point	May 13, 2008
Georges Laraque	50th playoff game	May 13, 2008
Petr Sykora	100th playoff game	May 13, 2008

In addition, Evgeni Malkin, Maxime Talbot, and Ryan Malone scored their first playoff goals. Rob Scuderi, Tyler Kennedy, and Kris Letang recorded their first playoff points. Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his first playoff shutout.

Awards

Evgeni Malkin was added to the All-Star Game on January 22, as a replacement following an injury to Sidney Crosby.^[66] In the game, Malkin recorded two assists.^[67]

On April 29, the league announced that Malkin, along with Alexander Ovechkin and Jarome Iginla, was named as a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player most valuable to his team. With 106 points, Malkin was the Penguins' leader in scoring. He finished second in the league only to Ovechkin. At one point in the season, Malkin recorded a 15-game point streak, the longest by a Russian player in the NHL.^[12]

The Penguins 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.^[68] Defenceman Kris Letang was recalled on November 13 and immediately contributed to the Penguins shootout, scoring on all of his first five attempts, including during the Winter Classic on January 1. Of his five shots, three won the game for the Penguins.^[69] Kennedy and Letang were selected to compete in the YoungStars competition for rookies during the All-Star break.^[70]

Player	Award
Sidney Crosby	Lou Marsh Award[71] All-Star starting forward[72]
Sergei Gonchar	All-Star defenceman[73]
Tyler Kennedy Kris Letang	NHL YoungStars[70]
Evgeni Malkin	All-Star forward[66] First Team NHL All-Star[74] Hart Memorial Trophy finalist[12]

On April 2, following the final home game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced its award winners for the season. Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins Booster Club, as well as voted amongst the team.^[75]

Player	Award	Notes
Ryan Whitney	Baz Bastien Memorial Award	Awarded by the Writers Association for cooperation throughout the season.
Ty Conklin	Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee	Nominated by the Writers Association for league-wide recognition.
Evgeni Malkin	A.T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup	Awarded to the player with the most "three stars" recognitions.
Georges Laraque	Edward J. DeBartolo Award	Awarded for time and effort towards community and charity projects.
Kris Letang	Rookie of the Year Award
Ryan Malone	Player's Player Award	Voted by the team for leadership and teamwork.
Evgeni Malkin	Most Valuable Player

Transactions

Free agents

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^[76] and Adam Hall. The organization also signed forwards Nathan Smith, Chris Minard^[77] and Jeff Taffe,^[78] as well as goaltender Ty Conklin^[79] for their AHL minor league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Player Former team Contract terms Dany Sabourin Vancouver Canucks 2 years, $1.025 million Darryl Sydor Dallas Stars 2 years, $5 million Petr Sykora Edmonton Oilers 2 years, $5 million Nathan Smith Vancouver Canucks 1 year, $500,000 Jeff Taffe Phoenix Coyotes 2 years, $1 million Ty Conklin Buffalo Sabres 1 year, $500,000 Adam Hall Minnesota Wild 1 year, $500,000

Player New team Michel Ouellet Tampa Bay Lightning Matt Carkner Ottawa Senators Wade Brookbank Carolina Hurricanes Nolan Schaefer Minnesota Wild Jocelyn Thibault Buffalo Sabres

Trades

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.^[80][81] 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 Thrashers would split the remaining cost of his $ 1.75 million contract.^[82]

On February 26, just minutes 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.^[83] 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.^[84]

October 2, 2007	To Vancouver Canucks Mike Weaver	To Pittsburgh Penguins claimed off waivers
December 8, 2007	To Atlanta Thrashers Mark Recchi	To Pittsburgh Penguins claimed off re-entry waivers
January 26, 2008	To Pittsburgh Penguins Kris Beech	To Washington Capitals claimed off waivers
January 31, 2008	To Pittsburgh Penguins David Gove	To Carolina Hurricanes Joe Jensen
February 26, 2008	To Pittsburgh Penguins Marian Hossa Pascal Dupuis	To Atlanta Thrashers Colby Armstrong Erik Christensen Angelo Esposito 2008 1st round pick
February 26, 2008	To Pittsburgh Penguins Hal Gill	To Toronto Maple Leafs 2008 2nd round pick 2009 5th round pick

Draft picks

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 their junior league teams in Canada.^[85]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	20	Angelo Esposito	Center	Canada	Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
2	51	Kevin Veilleux	Center	Canada	Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
3	78	Robert Bortuzzo	Defenceman	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
3	80	Casey Pierro-Zabotel	Center	Canada	Merritt Centennials (BCHL)
4	111	Luca Caputi	Left Wing	Canada	Mississauga IceDogs (OHL)
4	118	Alex Grant	Defenceman	Canada	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
5	141	Jake Muzzin	Defenceman	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
6	171	Dustin Jeffrey	Center	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

Minor League affiliates

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished first in the AHL East Division during the 2007-08 season. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, the "Baby Penguins" advanced through the Eastern Conference bracket with a record of 12–5. In the Calder Cup Final, they lost to the Chicago Wolves (ATL), four games to two.^[86]

In the ECHL, the Wheeling Nailers, a joint affiliate with the Philadelphia Flyers, finished last in the Northern Division, with a final record of 22–43–3–4.

Personnel

Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 Final Roster
Goaltenders 29 – Marc-Andre Fleury  30 – Dany Sabourin  35 – Ty Conklin  Injured reserve list 3 – Mark Eaton		Defensemen 2 – Hal Gill  4 – Rob Scuderi  5 – Darryl Sydor  - A 19 – Ryan Whitney  44 – Brooks Orpik  55 – Sergei Gonchar  - A 58 – Kristopher Letang		Wingers 9 – Pascal Dupuis  10 – Gary Roberts  - A 12 – Ryan Malone  - A 17 – Petr Sykora  18 – Marian Hossa  24 – Kris Beech  25 – Maxime Talbot  27 – Georges Laraque  28 – Adam Hall  37 – Jarkko Ruutu  48 – Tyler Kennedy		Centers 11 – Jordan Staal  38 – Jeff Taffe  71 – Evgeni Malkin  87 – Sidney Crosby  - C

Pittsburgh Penguins 2007–08 staff
	Executive Operations Ownership - Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle Chief Executive Officer - Ken Sawyer Chairman - Mario Lemieux President - David Morehouse Executive Vice President/General Manager - Ray Shero			Hockey Operations Assistant General Manager - Chuck Fletcher Senior Advisor - Ed Johnston Director of Player Development - Tom Fitzgerald Head Coach - Michel Therrien Assistant Coaches - Andre Savard, Mike Yeo Goaltending Coach - Gilles Meloche Strength & Conditioning - Mike Kadar

See also

• 2007–08 NHL season

External links

• Pittsburgh Penguins official site
• Regular season statistics
• Playoff statistics
• Season schedule and results

References