1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins season
| 1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Division | 6th Patrick |
| Conference | 9th Wales |
| 1987–88 record | 36–35–9 |
| Goals for | 319 |
| Goals against | 316 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Eddie Johnston |
| Coach | Pierre Creamer |
| Captain |
Dan Frawley (Oct-Dec) Mario Lemieux (Dec-Apr) |
| Alternate captains | Mario Lemieux (Oct-Dec) Dan Quinn Unknown |
| Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Mario Lemieux (70) |
| Assists | Mario Lemieux (98) |
| Points | Mario Lemieux (168) |
| Penalties in minutes | Rod Buskas (206) |
| Wins | Steve Guenette (12) |
| Goals against average | Steve Guenette (3.35) |
The 1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 21st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.
The Penguins were involved in one of the closest playoff races in NHL history, as they competed down the stretch with the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division. Despite two hefty losses to New Jersey in the last two weeks of the season, the Penguins gave themselves hope with a 7-6 overtime win against the Washington Capitals in their second to last game of the season. On the last day of the season, the Penguins defeated the Hartford Whalers 4-2 and moved ahead of New York and New Jersey. However, this position was temporary as the Rangers shut out Quebec, 3-0, to move back ahead of the Penguins. The Devils had the last laugh as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime on a goal by John MacLean to claim the fourth and final Patrick Division playoff spot ahead of the Rangers and Penguins.
The Penguins finished the regular season 1st in power-play opportunities (500), power-play opportunities against (507), power-play goals against (120) and short-handed goals allowed (19).
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
The Penguins missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1987–88 season:
Dave Hannan
Chris Joseph
Moe Mantha
Craig Simpson
Paul Coffey
Dave Hunter
Wayne Van Dorp
future considerations (1988 3rd round pick)
Perry Ganchar
future considerations (1988 3rd round pick)
Chris Kontos
future considerations (1988 6th round pick)
Bryan Erickson
...
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