PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PLAYOFF GUIDE ROUND ONE [This page was left blank intentionally.] pittsburghpenguins.com 2019 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PLAYOFF GUIDE Table of Contents 2018.19 Season Review. 5 Penguins vs. Islanders . .39 The Players. 53 Playoff History . 125 2018.19 REGULAR-SEASON REVIEW pittsburghpenguins.com 2018.19 Regular-Season Review • 6 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2018.19 NOTES SEASON SUMMARY his highest point total since the 2013-14 campaign, reaching the Extended winning AND losing streaks were the norm for most 100-point mark for the sixth time in his career. He ended the National Hockey League teams during the 2018-19 campaign, year tied for fifth in the NHL in points, the ninth time he’s done including the Pittsburgh Penguins. But when all was said and so. Only Gordie Howe (20 times) and Wayne Gretzky (16 times) done, the Penguins used a strong finish to the regular season to have accomplished that more often in NHL history. Crosby is tied compile a 44-26-12 record (100 points) that extended the club’s for third on that list with Mario Lemieux, Maurice Richard, Andy franchise-record streak of consecutive postseason appearances Bathgate and Stan Mikita. to 13. Crosby remained prolific offensively while earning praise for Pittsburgh’s playoff streak represents the longest active an outstanding 200-foot game that has him primed to make his postseason streak among all NHL teams. Since the 1967 NHL first legitimate run at the Selke Trophy, which is presented each Expansion, the Penguins’ playoff streak is tied for the 10th-longest season “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects run of any club. of the game.” At season’s end, in addition to ranking near the top The Pens have now hit the 100-point mark 10 times in the of several advanced stats lists, Crosby was plus-18, and his 55.4% 12 full seasons during their playoff streak (excludes the lockout faceoff success rate was the second-highest figure of his career. campaign). Since the streak began in 2006-07, the Pens have Crosby’s excellence this year earned him the team’s MVP more wins (605) and points (1,315) than any NHL team. San award for the eighth time. Only Lemieux (12 times) has earned Jose sits in second place in both categories with 594 and 1,301, that distinction more often. His teammates chose Crosby as the respectively. Players’ Player Award winner for the second-straight season. The Penguins will begin the playoffs on the road for the first Milestone-wise, Crosby added several major accomplishments time since 2015 when they take on the New York Islanders in to his resume. He became the 48th player in NHL history to record the First Round. This is the first playoff matchup between the 1,200 points on March 5 against Florida. One game prior, Crosby teams since the Penguins defeated the Islanders, 4-2, in the 2013 scored his 440th goal, allowing him to surpass Jaromir Jagr for Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Pittsburgh and New York have second place on the team’s all-time goal scoring list behind only met four times previously in the postseason, with the Islanders Lemieux (690). Finally, Crosby surpassed Lemieux to establish the winning three of the four series. franchise record for games played at 916 on Feb. 9 at Tampa Bay. Crosby ended the regular season with 943 games played. LATE SURGE Fourteen seasons into his illustrious career, Crosby has captured nearly every meaningful NHL award he is eligible to As noted above, the Penguins were up and down record-wise receive. He added one of the few he was missing when he throughout a majority of the 2018-19 season. According to the was named the MVP of the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose. NHL Stats team, the Penguins sat outside a playoff position after Crosby helped the Metropolitan Division win the All-Star 3-on-3 playing at least 70% of their schedule for just the second time Tournament thanks to a game-high eight points (4G-4A). What during the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin Era. The other instance made winning MVP even more impressive was Crosby was a came in 2008-09 when an 18-3-4 finish in the final 25 games set legitimate question mark to play in the game after missing the the stage for the first of three Stanley Cup championships won by previous evening’s Skills Competition due to a bad case of the flu. the Penguins thus far with the dynamic duo. This year, everything began clicking for the Penguins in the MAJOR MILESTONES final quarter thanks to a surge that began immediately following the trading deadline on February 25. Penguins fans were treated to a pair of major milestones In the first game following the deadline, the Penguins soundly within a one-week span in March. Evgeni Malkin, who long ago defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2, on February 26 at established himself as one of the greatest players in NHL history, Nationwide Arena. From that night through the end of the regular became the 88th NHL player to record 1,000 career points when season, Pittsburgh went 12-4-4, earning 28 of a possible 40 he set up a Phil Kessel goal against the Washington Capitals on standings points (70%). March 12. Malkin became the fifth Russian-born player in NHL Pittsburgh’s 28 points following the trading deadline ranked history to reach that mark. He also joined Mario Lemieux, Sidney second in the NHL behind Tampa Bay’s 30. Crosby and Jaromir Jagr as the only players in franchise history Prior to the trading deadline, the Penguins were tied for the to do so. The Penguins joined the Detroit Red Wings (Gordie eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio and Nicklas Lidstrom) as the only two NHL teams to have four players record 1,000 points TWO-WAY FORCE for their franchise. One week earlier, Matt Cullen became just the second Captain Sidney Crosby produced arguably the best all-around American-born player in NHL history to skate in 1,500 career season of his NHL career in 2018-19. Offensively, Crosby tallied pittsburghpenguins.com 2018.19 Regular-Season Review • 7 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2018.19 NOTES regular-season games on March 5 against the Florida Panthers, Guentzel established career highs across the board this year joining Hall of Famer Chris Chelios (1,651 games played). By the with 36 assists and 76 points while skating in all 82 regular- end of the year, Cullen had appeared in 1,516 contests, which season contests for the second-straight year. moved him into 19th place on the NHL’s all-time games played list. Guentzel’s 40 goals this season placed fourth among all American-born players. (To read more on both of these impressive accomplishments, please Already the owner of two double-digit playoff goal-scoring see pages 27-34 for Malkin and pages 36-38 for Cullen.) runs entering this spring, Guentzel was rewarded for his high- scoring exploits on December 27 with a five-year contract ALL THE RECORDS extension that begins with the 2019-20 season and runs through Kris Letang long ago established himself as one of the 2023-24, paying him an average annual value of $6 million. Penguins’ pillars during this 13-year run of success. This year, not only did he produce one of the best seasons of his career, but he PROVIDING A SPARK added several franchise records to cement his standing among Since taking over the Penguins in 2014, general manager the team’s all-time greats. Jim Rutherford has often stated that he prefers to make his big Two games into the season, his assist on a Riley Sheahan moves several weeks before the trading deadline. His thinking is goal Oct. 6 versus Montreal was the 441st point of his career, that by striking early, newcomers have a better chance to develop setting a new club record for points by a defenseman, breaking chemistry within their new surroundings. Paul Coffey’s mark. Later in the year, Letang scored his 109th goal Rutherford was able to accomplish that goal this year, making to supplant Coffey as the highest goal-scoring blueliner in club his biggest transaction of the season on February 1. He acquired annals. Letang set the Penguins’ team record for games played a pair of forwards who would play key roles down the stretch by a defender when he skated in his 704th contest on Nov. 27 at – Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad – in exchange for Derick Winnipeg. Brassard, Riley Sheahan and three draft picks. (For more on Letang’s franchise records, see page 35) Almost immediately, McCann and Bjugstad provided the secondary goal scoring that Pittsburgh had been searching for all Although Letang missed 17 games due to injury – including season. They each dressed for 32 games, with McCann producing 15 following the February 25 NHL Trade Deadline – he still put 11 goals and 17 points, and Bjugstad chipping in nine goals and forth another banner campaign, earning him the fifth All-Star 14 points. McCann quickly developed into one of Pittsburgh’s Game selection of his career. Letang finished the season with 56 top penalty killers, scoring a team-high three shorthanded goals points, the second-highest single-season total of his career. He despite skating in less than half of the team’s games. Overall, also equaled his career high by scoring 16 goals (also did so in McCann scored four shorthanded goals between his two teams, 2015-16).