1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season
| 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Division | 1st Northeast |
| Conference | 2nd Eastern |
| 1995–96 record | 49–29–4 |
| Home record | 32–9–0 |
| Road record | 17–20–4 |
| Goals for | 362 |
| Goals against | 284 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Craig Patrick |
| Coach | Eddie Johnston |
| Captain | Mario Lemieux |
| Alternate captains |
Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr |
| Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Mario Lemieux (69) |
| Assists | Mario Lemieux (92) |
| Points | Mario Lemieux (161) |
| Penalties in minutes | Francois Leroux (161) |
| Wins | Tom Barrasso (29) |
| Goals against average | Ken Wregget (3.24) |
The 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season saw the return of Mario Lemieux after missing an entire season due to injuries. The Penguins improved to first in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference. In the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins progressed to the Conference Finals before losing to the Florida Panthers.
Mario Lemieux's return to the NHL after missing the entire 1994–95 season energized the Penguins and re-instituted the team's finesse game for the 1995–96 season. The Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference with 102 points, leading all League teams in goals (362), even-strength goals (235), power-play goals (109), power-play percentage (25.95%) and shooting percentage while scoring 362 goals on just 2,645 shots (13.7%). Despite missing 12 regular-season games, Lemieux led the NHL in goals (69), assists (92), points (161) power-play goals (31) and shorthanded goals (8). Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr had a career year, scoring 62 goals (second in the League), 87 assists (third in the League) and 149 points (second in the League). The third 100-point scorer on the team was Ron Francis, who tallied 27 goals and 92 assists (tied for first in the NHL with Lemieux) for 119 points. Petr Nedved scored 45 goals and had 54 assists for 99 points in 80 games—he finished second in the NHL in shooting percentage, with 22.1%. Despite missing over a quarter of the season, Tomas Sandstrom also had a strong year, scoring 35 goals and picking up 35 assists for 70 points in 58 games.
Lemieux scored three goals or more in a game six times, and four goals or more in a game twice. On March 26, 1996, he scored five goals in a home game against the St. Louis Blues. Lemieux tallied two even-strength goals, two power-play goals and one short-handed goal in the game, which the Penguins won 8–4.
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs
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