# 1998–99 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1998–99 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 32nd season in the National Hockey League (NHL).

## Regular season

The Penguins were the least penalized team during the regular season, with just 302 power-play opportunities against. They also allowed the most short-handed goals, with 14.

### Final standings

Atlantic Division :
| R | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 248 | 196 | 105 |
| 2 | 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 37 | 26 | 19 | 231 | 196 | 93 |
| 3 | 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 30 | 14 | 242 | 225 | 90 |
| 4 | 10 | New York Rangers | 82 | 33 | 38 | 11 | 217 | 227 | 77 |
| 5 | 13 | New York Islanders | 82 | 24 | 48 | 10 | 194 | 244 | 58 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y – New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 248 | 196 | 105 |
| 2 | y – Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 239 | 179 | 103 |
| 3 | y – Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 34 | 30 | 18 | 210 | 202 | 86 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 268 | 231 | 97 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 37 | 26 | 19 | 231 | 196 | 93 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 214 | 181 | 91 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 28 | 17 | 207 | 175 | 91 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | ATL | 82 | 38 | 30 | 14 | 242 | 225 | 90 |
| 9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 30 | 34 | 18 | 210 | 228 | 78 |
| 10 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 33 | 38 | 11 | 217 | 227 | 77 |
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 184 | 209 | 75 |
| 12 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 31 | 45 | 6 | 200 | 218 | 68 |
| 13 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 24 | 48 | 10 | 194 | 244 | 58 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 179 | 292 | 47 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1998–99 regular season :
October: 4–3–2 (home: 0–1–1; road: 4–2–1), 10 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
1October 10Pittsburgh Penguins4–3New York Islanders1–0–02Recap
2October 14Pittsburgh Penguins3–1New Jersey Devils2–0–04Recap
3October 17New York Rangers3–3Pittsburgh Penguins2–0–15Recap
4October 21Pittsburgh Penguins0–5Tampa Bay Lightning2–1–15Recap
5October 24Toronto Maple Leafs6–6Pittsburgh Penguins2–2–15Recap
6October 26Pittsburgh Penguins2–0Toronto Maple Leafs3–2–17Recap
7October 28Pittsburgh Penguins5–2Calgary Flames4–2–19Recap
8October 30Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Vancouver Canucks4–2–210Recap
9October 31Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Edmonton Oilers4–3–210Recap :
November: 6–3–3 (home: 3–1–3; road: 3–2–0), 15 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
10November 3Philadelphia Flyers4–4Pittsburgh Penguins4–3–311Recap
11November 5Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Ottawa Senators5–3–313Recap
12November 7Boston Bruins0–0Pittsburgh Penguins5–3–414Recap
13November 10New York Islanders2–2Pittsburgh Penguins6–3–416Recap
14November 13Pittsburgh Penguins3–4New Jersey Devils6–4–416Recap
15November 14Florida Panthers0–0Pittsburgh Penguins7–4–418Recap
16November 17Philadelphia Flyers4–4Pittsburgh Penguins7–5–418Recap
17November 19Pittsburgh Penguins5–1Tampa Bay Lightning8–5–420Recap
18November 21Tampa Bay Lightning2–2Pittsburgh Penguins9–5–422Recap
19November 25Pittsburgh Penguins4–5Washington Capitals9–6–422Recap
20November 27New York Rangers2–2Pittsburgh Penguins9–6–523Recap
21November 28Pittsburgh Penguins4–3Montreal Canadiens10–6–525Recap :
December: 5–4–2 (home: 4–1–1; road: 1–3–1), 12 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
22December 1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim4–4Pittsburgh Penguins10–6–626Recap
23December 4Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Carolina Hurricanes10–6–727Recap
24December 5Pittsburgh Penguins1–2Boston Bruins10–7–727Recap
25December 12Pittsburgh Penguins4–3St. Louis Blues11–7–729Recap
26December 15Tampa Bay Lightning2–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins12–7–731Recap
27December 16Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Florida Panthers12–8–731Recap
28December 19Washington Capitals0–0Pittsburgh Penguins13–8–733Recap
29December 21Pittsburgh Penguins1–7Toronto Maple Leafs13–9–733Recap
30December 22Los Angeles Kings3–3Pittsburgh Penguins13–10–733Recap
31December 26Ottawa Senators1–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins14–10–735Recap
32December 30Florida Panthers4–4Pittsburgh Penguins15–10–737Recap :
January: 8–5–0 (home: 5–2–0; road: 3–3–0), 16 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
33January 2Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Florida Panthers16–10–739Recap
34January 5Calgary Flames1–1Pittsburgh Penguins17–10–741Recap
35January 7Carolina Hurricanes2–2Pittsburgh Penguins18–10–743Recap
36January 9St. Louis Blues1–1Pittsburgh Penguins19–10–745Recap
37January 13Pittsburgh Penguins3–5Phoenix Coyotes19–11–745Recap
38January 15Pittsburgh Penguins2–3San Jose Sharks19–12–745Recap
39January 16Pittsburgh Penguins5–1Los Angeles Kings20–12–747Recap
40January 18Pittsburgh Penguins3–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim20–13–747Recap
41January 21New York Islanders5–5Pittsburgh Penguins20–14–747Recap
42January 26Carolina Hurricanes5–5Pittsburgh Penguins20–15–747Recap
43January 28Toronto Maple Leafs0–0Pittsburgh Penguins21–15–749Recap
44January 30Boston Bruins2–2Pittsburgh Penguins22–15–751Recap
45January 31Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Montreal Canadiens23–15–753Recap :
February: 9–5–0 (home: 7–0–0; road: 2–5–0), 18 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
46February 2Buffalo Sabres3–3Pittsburgh Penguins24–15–755Recap
47February 5Florida Panthers0–0Pittsburgh Penguins25–15–757Recap
48February 7Detroit Red Wings1–1Pittsburgh Penguins26–15–759Recap
49February 9Montreal Canadiens2–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins27–15–761Recap
50February 11Vancouver Canucks5–6 OTPittsburgh Penguins28–15–763Recap
51February 13Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTNashville Predators29–15–765Recap
52February 15Washington Capitals3–3Pittsburgh Penguins30–15–767Recap
53February 17Pittsburgh Penguins1–3New York Islanders30–16–767Recap
54February 19Pittsburgh Penguins1–6New York Rangers30–17–767Recap
55February 21Pittsburgh Penguins1–2Philadelphia Flyers30–18–767Recap
56February 22Phoenix Coyotes1–1Pittsburgh Penguins31–18–769Recap
57February 25Pittsburgh Penguins3–2Colorado Avalanche32–18–771Recap
58February 26Pittsburgh Penguins4–6Dallas Stars32–19–771Recap
59February 28Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Washington Capitals32–20–771Recap :
March: 4–5–6 (home: 2–3–5; road: 2–2–1), 14 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
60March 3Montreal Canadiens4–4Pittsburgh Penguins32–20–872Recap
61March 5Edmonton Oilers2–2Pittsburgh Penguins32–20–973Recap
62March 7Colorado Avalanche3–1Pittsburgh Penguins32–21–973Recap
63March 9New Jersey Devils3–2Pittsburgh Penguins32–22–973Recap
64March 10Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTCarolina Hurricanes33–22–975Recap
65March 13Philadelphia Flyers0–4Pittsburgh Penguins34–22–977Recap
66March 16Dallas Stars2–2Pittsburgh Penguins34–22–1078Recap
67March 17Pittsburgh Penguins2–0Tampa Bay Lightning35–22–1080Recap
68March 20Nashville Predators1–1Pittsburgh Penguins35–22–1181Recap
69March 21Pittsburgh Penguins2–2New York Rangers35–22–1282Recap
70March 23Chicago Blackhawks2–2Pittsburgh Penguins36–22–1284Recap
71March 25Pittsburgh Penguins3–5New Jersey Devils36–23–1284Recap
72March 27Buffalo Sabres1–1Pittsburgh Penguins36–23–1385Recap
73March 28Pittsburgh Penguins3–4 OTBuffalo Sabres36–24–1385Recap
74March 30Ottawa Senators6–6Pittsburgh Penguins36–25–1385Recap :
April: 2–5–1 (home: 0–2–0; road: 2–3–1), 5 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
75April 1Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Ottawa Senators36–25–1486Recap
76April 3New Jersey Devils4–4Pittsburgh Penguins36–26–1486Recap
77April 5Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Buffalo Sabres36–27–1486Recap
78April 8Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Philadelphia Flyers36–28–1486Recap
79April 11Pittsburgh Penguins3–0Detroit Red Wings37–28–1488Recap
80April 15Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Boston Bruins37–29–1488Recap
81April 17New York Islanders7–7Pittsburgh Penguins37–30–1488Recap
82April 18Pittsburgh Penguins2–1 OTNew York Rangers38–30–1490Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) New Jersey Devils – Penguins win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeriesRecap
1April 22Pittsburgh Penguins1–3New Jersey Devils0–1Recap
2April 24Pittsburgh Penguins4–1New Jersey Devils1–1Recap
3April 25New Jersey Devils2–4Pittsburgh Penguins2–1Recap
4April 27New Jersey Devils4–2Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Recap
5April 30Pittsburgh Penguins3–4New Jersey Devils2–3Recap
6May 2New Jersey Devils2–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins3–3Recap
7May 4Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New Jersey Devils4–3Recap :
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs – Maple Leafs win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeriesRecap
1May 7Pittsburgh Penguins2–0Toronto Maple Leafs1–0Recap
2May 9Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Toronto Maple Leafs1–1Recap
3May 11Toronto Maple Leafs3–4Pittsburgh Penguins2–1Recap
4May 13Toronto Maple Leafs3–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins2–2Recap
5May 15Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Toronto Maple Leafs2–3Recap
6May 17Toronto Maple Leafs4–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins2–4Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jaromir Jagr | 81 | 44 | 83 | 127 | 17 | 66 |
| Martin Straka | 80 | 35 | 48 | 83 | 12 | 26 |
| German Titov | 72 | 11 | 45 | 56 | 18 | 34 |
| Alex Kovalev$^†$ | 63 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 8 | 37 |
| Robert Lang | 72 | 21 | 23 | 44 | -10 | 24 |
| Kip Miller | 77 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 1 | 22 |
| Jan Hrdina | 82 | 13 | 29 | 42 | -2 | 40 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 66 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 11 | 24 |
| Stu Barnes$^‡$ | 64 | 20 | 12 | 32 | -12 | 20 |
| Rob Brown | 58 | 13 | 11 | 24 | -15 | 16 |
| Brad Werenka | 81 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 17 | 93 |
| Jiri Slegr | 63 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 13 | 86 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 67 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 5 | 14 |
| Bobby Dollas | 70 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -3 | 60 |
| Dan Kesa | 67 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -9 | 27 |
| Ian Moran | 62 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| Maxim Galanov | 51 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -8 | 14 |
| Jeff Serowik | 26 | 0 | 6 | 6 | -4 | 16 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 48 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 70 |
| Matthew Barnaby$^†$ | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -10 | 34 |
| Martin Sonnenberg | 44 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 19 |
| Patrick Lebeau | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| Greg Andrusak | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Victor Ignatjev | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 6 |
| Neil Wilkinson | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 22 |
| Chris Tamer | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 32 |
| Tyler Wright | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 90 |
| Sean Pronger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Bonin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Sven Butenschon | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 6 |
| Ryan Savoia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Harry York | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Skrbek | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 242 | 414 | 656 | — | 943 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Martin Straka | 13 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 9 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 16 |
| Alex Kovalev | 10 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| Kip Miller | 13 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -1 | 19 |
| German Titov | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Rob Brown | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 8 |
| Jan Hrdina | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | -1 | 12 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Jiri Slegr | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| Brad Werenka | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Lang | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Ian Moran | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 8 |
| Bobby Dollas | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 6 |
| Greg Andrusak | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 |
| Dan Kesa | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| Todd Hlushko | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Wright | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 19 |
| Matthew Barnaby | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 35 |
| Brian Bonin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Victor Ignatjev | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Maxim Galanov | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Sonnenberg | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 35 | 53 | 88 | — | 177 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso | 43 | 43 | 2306:15 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 98 | 2.55 | 993 | 0.901 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Peter Skudra | 37 | 28 | 1914:12 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 89 | 2.79 | 822 | 0.892 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jean-Sebastien Aubin | 17 | 11 | 756:15 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 2.22 | 304 | 0.908 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 82 | 4976:42 | 38 | 30 | 14 | 215 | 2.59 | 2119 | 0.899 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso | 13 | 13 | 787:20 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 2.67 | 350 | 0.900 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | Total | 13 | 787:20 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 2.67 | 350 | 0.900 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
$^†$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.

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Art Ross Trophy | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (annual) | Hart Memorial Trophy | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (annual) | Lester B. Pearson Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Martin Straka |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Month | Jaromir Jagr (March) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Jaromir Jagr (February 1) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Jan Hrdina (January) |
| Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Jiri Slegr |
| Team | Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award | Martin Straka |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | Jan Hrdina |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Martin Straka |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Rob Brown |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Tyler Wright |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Jan Hrdina | October 10, 1998 |
| First game | Viktors Ignatjevs | October 10, 1998 |
| First game | Jean-Sebastien Aubin | October 21, 1998 |
| First game | Martin Sonnenberg | November 21, 1998 |
| First game | Ryan Savoia | March 27, 1999 |
| First game | Pavel Skrbek | March 28, 1999 |
| First game | Brian Bonin | April 8, 1999 |
| 1,000th game played | Kevin Hatcher | January 18, 1999 |

## Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1998–99 season:

### Trades

| November 25, 1998 | To New York Rangers Petr Nedved Sean Pronger Chris Tamer | To Pittsburgh Penguins Alexei Kovalev Harry York future considerations |
| February 10, 1999 | To Philadelphia Flyers Sean O`Brien | To Pittsburgh Penguins future considerations |
| March 11, 1999 | To Buffalo Sabres Stu Barnes | To Pittsburgh Penguins Matthew Barnaby |
| March 18, 1999 | To Tampa Bay Lightning future considerations (cash) | To Pittsburgh Penguins Brent Peterson |

### Player signings

| Player | Date |
| Sean Pronger | August 10, 1998 |
| Rob Brown | August 11, 1998 |
| Sean O'Brien | August 11, 1998 |
| Viktors Ignatjevs | August 11, 1998 |
| Robert Lang | September 22, 1998 |
| Martin Sonnenberg | October 9, 1998 |
| Brian Leitza | October 12, 1998 |
| Patrick Lebeau | October 18, 1998 |
| Greg Andrusak | March 19, 1999 |
| Hans Jonsson | June 21, 1999 |

## Draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 23 | Milan Kraft | Center | Czech Republic | Keramika Plzeň (Czech) |
| 2 | 54 | Alexander Zevakhin | Right Wing | Russia | CSKA Moscow (RSL) |
| 3 | 80 | David Cameron | Center | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 4 | 110 | Scott Myers | Goaltender | Canada | Prince George Cougars (WHL) |
| 5 | 134 | Rob Scuderi | Defense | United States | Boston College (Hockey East) |
| 6 | 169 | Jan Fadrny | Center | Czech Republic | Slavia Praha (Czech) |
| 7 | 196 | Joel Scherban | Center | Canada | London Knights (OHL) |
| 8 | 224 | Mika Lehto | Goaltender | Finland | Assat (SM-liiga) |
| 9 | 244 | Toby Petersen | Center | United States | Colorado College (WCHA) |
| 9 | 254 | Matt Hussey | Center | United States | Avon Old Farms (USHS-CN) |

### Draft notes

* $^a$ The Colorado Avalanche's third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a September 28, 1997, trade that sent Francois Leroux to the Avalanche in exchange for this pick.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins' third-round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of an August 12, 1997, trade that sent Jiri Slegr to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
* $^b$ The Buffalo Sabres' fifth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a September 24, 1997, trade that sent Jason Woolley to the Sabres in exchange for this pick.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the Vancouver Canucks as the result of a March 18, 1997, trade that sent Josef Beranek to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
* $^c$ Compensatory pick received from NHL as compensation for free agent Craig Muni.

## Farm teams

The American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch finished last overall in the standings with a record of 18-50-9-3.