# 1988–89 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1988–89 Pittsburgh Penguins season saw the Penguins finish in second place in the Patrick Division with a record of 40 wins, 33 losses, and 7 ties for 87 points. They swept the New York Rangers in the Division Semi-finals before losing the Division Finals in seven games to the Philadelphia Flyers.

## Regular season

This was Mario Lemieux's best season offensively. He led the league in goals (85), assists (114, tied with Wayne Gretzky), points (199), power-play goals (31) and shorthanded goals (13).
The Penguins finished the regular season with the most power-play opportunities against, with 482, the most power-play opportunities, with 491, and the most power-play goals scored, with 119.

### Highlights

* December 31, 1988 – Mario Lemieux scores five goals in an 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils. Lemieux scores the five goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net.

### Season standings

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | 305 | 259 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 347 | 349 | 87 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 37 | 35 | 8 | 310 | 307 | 82 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 36 | 36 | 8 | 307 | 285 | 80 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 281 | 325 | 66 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 28 | 47 | 5 | 265 | 325 | 61 |
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.

### Record vs. opponents
#### Vs. Wales Conference

1988–89 NHL records :
| Team | NJD | NYI | NYR | PHI | PIT | WSH | Total |
| New Jersey | — | 1–4–2 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 1–4–2 | 4–3 | 12–19–4 |
| N.Y. Islanders | 4–1–2 | — | 2–5 | 1–5–1 | 2–4–1 | 3–4 | 12–19–4 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 3–4 | 5–2 | — | 3–3–1 | 3–3–1 | 3–2–2 | 17–14–4 |
| Philadelphia | 5–2 | 5–1–1 | 3–3–1 | — | 3–4 | 3–4 | 19–14–2 |
| Pittsburgh | 4–1–2 | 4–2–1 | 3–3–1 | 4–3 | — | 4–3 | 19–12–4 |
| Washington | 3–4 | 4–3 | 2–3–2 | 4–3 | 3–4 | — | 16–17–2 |
1988–89 NHL records :
| Team | BOS | BUF | HFD | MTL | QUE | Total |
| New Jersey | 0–2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 3–11–1 |
| N.Y. Islanders | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 6–9–0 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 0–1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–10–2 |
| Philadelphia | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1–1 | 0–1–2 | 2–1 | 6–6–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 5–9–1 |
| Washington | 1–1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1–1 | 2–0–1 | 10–2–3 |

#### Vs. Campbell Conference

1988–89 NHL records :
| Team | CHI | DET | MIN | STL | TOR | Total |
| New Jersey | 2–1 | 2–0–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 9–4–2 |
| N.Y. Islanders | 0–3 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–11–0 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 2–0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1–1 | 8–5–2 |
| Philadelphia | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 8–7–0 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–0 | 2–0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 9–4–2 |
| Washington | 2–1 | 1–1–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–0–1 | 2–1 | 8–4–3 |
1988–89 NHL records :
| Team | CGY | EDM | LAK | VAN | WIN | Total |
| New Jersey | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–1–2 | 1–1–1 | 0–1–2 | 3–7–5 |
| N.Y. Islanders | 0–2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 6–8–1 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 9–6–0 |
| Philadelphia | 0–3 | 0–1–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–0–1 | 3–9–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 7–8–0 |
| Washington | 0–2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 7–6–2 |

## Schedule and results

On January 4, 1989, the Penguins defeated the Red Army team 4–2 at the Civic Arena in an exhibition.
1988–89 Schedule :
October: 7–4–0 (Home: 5–0–0; Road: 2–4–0), 14 Points
#OctTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
1Oct 7Pittsburgh Penguins6–4Washington CapitalsCapital Centre1–0–02
2Oct 11Washington Capitals7–8Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena2–0–04
3Oct 12Pittsburgh Penguins5–8Buffalo SabresBuffalo Memorial Auditorium2–1–04
4Oct 15St. Louis Blues2–9Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena3–1–06
5Oct 18Philadelphia Flyers2–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena4–1–08
6Oct 21Pittsburgh Penguins4–6New Jersey DevilsBrendan Byrne Arena4–2–08
7Oct 22Chicago Blackhawks4–7Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena5–2–010
8Oct 25Calgary Flames1–6Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena6–2–012
9Oct 27Pittsburgh Penguins3–4St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Arena6–3–012
10Oct 29Pittsburgh Penguins5–4Montreal CanadiensMontreal Forum7–3–014
11Oct 30Pittsburgh Penguins2–9New York RangersMadison Square Garden (IV)7–4–014 :
November: 7–6–0 (Home: 5–2–0; Road: 2–4–0), 14 Points
#NovTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
12Nov 1Vancouver Canucks3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena8–4–016
13Nov 3Quebec Nordiques6–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena8–5–016
14Nov 6Pittsburgh Penguins4–5Philadelphia FlyersThe Spectrum8–6–016
15Nov 8Edmonton Oilers7–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena8–7–016
16Nov 10Toronto Maple Leafs1–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena9–7–018
17Nov 12Pittsburgh Penguins2–7Los Angeles KingsThe Forum9–8–018
18Nov 13Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Vancouver CanucksPacific Coliseum10–8–020
19Nov 16Pittsburgh Penguins5–8Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leaf Gardens10–9–020
20Nov 19Pittsburgh Penguins3–6New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum10–10–020
21Nov 23New York Rangers2–8Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena11–10–022
22Nov 25Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Washington CapitalsCapital Centre12–10–024
23Nov 26Philadelphia Flyers3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena13–10–026
24Nov 30Washington Capitals4–6Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena14–10–028 :
December: 9–2–3 (Home: 6–1–1; Road: 3–1–2), 21 Points
#DecTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
25Dec 3New York Islanders2–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena15–10–030
26Dec 4Pittsburgh Penguins3–3 OTBoston BruinsBoston Garden15–10–131
27Dec 6Chicago Blackhawks6–7Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena16–10–133
28Dec 8Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Philadelphia FlyersThe Spectrum16–11–133
29Dec 10New Jersey Devils4–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena16–11–234
30Dec 14Los Angeles Kings4–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena17–11–236
31Dec 15Pittsburgh Penguins8–2New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum18–11–238
32Dec 17Detroit Red Wings2–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena19–11–240
33Dec 20New York Islanders3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena20–11–242
34Dec 21Pittsburgh Penguins6–1Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leaf Gardens21–11–244
35Dec 23Pittsburgh Penguins2–2 OTNew Jersey DevilsBrendan Byrne Arena21–11–345
36Dec 26Pittsburgh Penguins4–3 OTHartford WhalersHartford Civic Center22–11–347
37Dec 29Philadelphia Flyers3–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena22–12–347
38Dec 31New Jersey Devils6–8Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena23–12–349 :
January: 5–6–1 (Home: 3–2–1; Road: 2–4–0), 11 Points
#JanTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
39Jan 2Pittsburgh Penguins0–8Washington CapitalsCapital Centre23–13–349
40Jan 7Vancouver Canucks7–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena23–14–349
41Jan 10New York Islanders3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena24–14–351
42Jan 12Pittsburgh Penguins9–2Minnesota North StarsMet Center25–14–353
43Jan 14New York Rangers4–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena25–14–454
44Jan 15Pittsburgh Penguins4–6New York RangersMadison Square Garden (IV)25–15–454
45Jan 17Pittsburgh Penguins2–5New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum25–16–454
46Jan 20Pittsburgh Penguins3–7Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena25–17–454
47Jan 21Pittsburgh Penguins7–4Edmonton OilersNorthlands Coliseum26–17–456
48Jan 25Winnipeg Jets4–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena27–17–458
49Jan 28Detroit Red Wings5–10Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena28–17–460
50Jan 31Montreal Canadiens5–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena28–18–460 :
February: 4–7–3 (Home: 2–2–1; Road: 2–3–2), 11 Points
#FebTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
51Feb 2Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Philadelphia FlyersThe Spectrum29–18–462
52Feb 3St. Louis Blues3–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena29–18–563
53Feb 5Pittsburgh Penguins5–2Boston BruinsBoston Garden30–18–565
54Feb 9Quebec Nordiques2–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena31–18–567
55Feb 11Pittsburgh Penguins1–8Quebec NordiquesColisée de Québec31–19–567
56Feb 12Calgary Flames4–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena31–20–567
57Feb 14Buffalo Sabres3–7Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena32–20–569
58Feb 17Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Buffalo SabresBuffalo Memorial Auditorium32–21–569
59Feb 18New York Rangers5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena32–22–569
60Feb 21Minnesota North Stars2–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena32–23–569
61Feb 23Pittsburgh Penguins6–6 OTDetroit Red WingsJoe Louis Arena32–23–670
62Feb 25Pittsburgh Penguins5–5 OTNew York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum32–23–771
63Feb 26Pittsburgh Penguins6–8Hartford WhalersHartford Civic Center32–24–771 :
March: 6–9–0 (Home: 2–5–0; Road: 4–4–0), 12 Points
#MarTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
64Mar 1New Jersey Devils1–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena33–24–773
65Mar 3Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Washington CapitalsCapital Centre33–25–773
66Mar 5Edmonton Oilers4–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena33–26–773
67Mar 7Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 OTLos Angeles KingsGreat Western Forum33–27–773
68Mar 9Pittsburgh Penguins3–10Calgary FlamesOlympic Saddledome33–28–773
69Mar 10Pittsburgh Penguins5–1Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena34–28–775
70Mar 12Pittsburgh Penguins6–5Chicago BlackhawksChicago Stadium35–28–777
71Mar 14Boston Bruins8–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena35–29–777
72Mar 16Pittsburgh Penguins2–1New Jersey DevilsBrendan Byrne Arena36–29–779
73Mar 18Montreal Canadiens7–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena36–30–779
74Mar 20Pittsburgh Penguins2–7Minnesota North StarsMet Center36–31–779
75Mar 22Washington Capitals5–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena36–32–779
76Mar 25New Jersey Devils4–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena37–32–781
77Mar 26Pittsburgh Penguins6–4New York RangersMadison Square Garden (IV)38–32–783
78Mar 30Hartford Whalers9–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena38–33–783 :
April: 2–0–0 (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 1–0–0), 4 Points
#AprTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
79Apr 1New York Rangers2–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena39–33–785
80Apr 2Pittsburgh Penguins6–5 OTPhiladelphia FlyersThe Spectrum40–33–787 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Playoffs

After six frustrating and disappointing seasons, the Penguins finally managed to get into the playoffs for the first time since the 1981–82 season. They swept New York Rangers in the Semifinals, but lost to their rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games.

### Playoff log

1989 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Patrick Division semifinals vs No. 3 New York Rangers: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTPIT goalsNYR goalsDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 5N.Y. Rangers1–3PittsburghCoffey (2), QuinnSandstromBarrasso (1–0)16,0251–0
2April 6N.Y. Rangers4–7PittsburghStevens, Brown, Callander, Bourque, Cunneyworth, Zalapski, Lemieux (en)Lafleur, Leetch, Ogrodnick, WilsonBarrasso (2–0)16,0252–0
3April 8Pittsburgh5–3N.Y. RangersLemeiux, Cullen, Stevens, Quinn (2)Granato, Ogrodnick, SandstromBarrasso (3–0)17,4983–0
4April 9Pittsburgh4–3N.Y. RangersLemieux, Bourque, BrownSandstrom, Leetch (2)Barrasso (4–0)17,4034–0 :
Patrick Division finals vs No. 4 Philadelphia Flyers: 3–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 1–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTPIT goalsPHI goalsDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 17Philadelphia3–4PittsburghLemieux, Quinn, Cullen, BrownPoulin, Kerr, ProppBarrasso (5–0)16,0251–0
2April 19Philadelphia4–2PittsburghQuinn, LemieuxKerr (3), ProppBarrasso (5–1)16,0251–1
3April 21Pittsburgh4–3Philadelphia12:08Lemieux, Quinn, Callander, BourquePoulin, Acton, ProppBarrasso (6–1)17,4232–1
4April 23Pittsburgh1–4PhiladelphiaCullenPoulin, Kerr (2), CarknerBarrasso (6–2)17,4232–2
5April 25Philadelphia7–10PittsburghLemieux (3), Errey, Lemieux, Loney, Stevens, Brown (2), Lemieux (en)Bullard, Eklund, Propp, Smith, Kerr, Eklund, KerrBarrasso (7–2)16,0253–2
6April 27Pittsburgh2–6PhiladelphiaCunneyworth (2)Kerr (2), Smith, Sutter, Smith, ProppBarrasso (7–3)17,4233–3
7April 29Philadelphia4–1PittsburghLemieuxPropp, Poulin, Bullard, Mellanby (en)Barrasso (7–4)16,0253–4 :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Mario Lemieux | 76 | 85 | 114 | 199 | 41 | 100 |
| Rob Brown | 68 | 49 | 66 | 115 | 27 | 118 |
| Paul Coffey | 75 | 30 | 83 | 113 | –10 | 195 |
| Dan Quinn | 79 | 34 | 60 | 94 | –37 | 102 |
| Bob Errey | 76 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 40 | 124 |
| John Cullen | 79 | 12 | 37 | 49 | –25 | 112 |
| Zarley Zalapski | 58 | 12 | 33 | 45 | 9 | 57 |
| Randy Cunneyworth | 70 | 25 | 19 | 44 | –22 | 156 |
| Phil Bourque | 80 | 17 | 26 | 43 | –22 | 97 |
| Dave Hannan | 72 | 10 | 20 | 30 | –12 | 157 |
| Randy Hillier | 68 | 1 | 23 | 24 | –4 | 141 |
| Troy Loney | 69 | 10 | 6 | 16 | –5 | 165 |
| Jim Johnson | 76 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 163 |
| Kevin Stevens | 24 | 12 | 3 | 15 | –8 | 19 |
| Jock Callander | 30 | 6 | 5 | 11 | –3 | 20 |
| Steve Dykstra | 65 | 1 | 6 | 7 | –12 | 126 |
| Dan Frawley | 46 | 3 | 4 | 7 | –1 | 66 |
| Rod Buskas | 52 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –2 | 105 |
| Chris Dahlquist | 43 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –8 | 42 |
| Jay Caufield | 58 | 1 | 4 | 5 | –4 | 285 |
| Doug Bodger$^‡$ | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Scott Bjugstad | 24 | 3 | 0 | 3 | –12 | 4 |
| Gord Dineen$^†$ | 38 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –5 | 44 |
| Dave McLlwain | 24 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –11 | 4 |
| Mark Recchi | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –2 | 0 |
| Mark Kachowski | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 |
| Ville Sirén$^‡$ | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Perry Ganchar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –3 | 0 |
| Richard Zemlak$^†$ | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –4 | 135 |
| Total | Total | 347 | 575 | 922 | — | 2,601 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Mario Lemieux | 11 | 12 | 7 | 19 | –1 | 16 |
| Paul Coffey | 11 | 2 | 13 | 15 | –7 | 31 |
| Kevin Stevens | 11 | 3 | 7 | 10 | –1 | 16 |
| Dan Quinn | 11 | 6 | 3 | 9 | –6 | 10 |
| Zarley Zalapski | 11 | 1 | 8 | 9 | –2 | 13 |
| John Cullen | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 28 |
| Rob Brown | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | –2 | 22 |
| Randy Cunneyworth | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | –1 | 26 |
| Jock Callander | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| Phil Bourque | 11 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 66 |
| Jim Johnson | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 44 |
| Troy Loney | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 24 |
| Bob Errey | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Gord Dineen | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Dave Hannan | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Dave McLlwain | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Hillier | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | –1 | 49 |
| Jay Caufield | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –2 | 28 |
| Rod Buskas | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1 | 23 |
| Richard Zemlak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Steve Dykstra | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Dahlquist | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 43 | 73 | 116 | — | 442 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso$^†$ | 44 | 2406:21 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 162 | 4.04 | 1441 | 0.888 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 49 |
| Wendell Young | 22 | 1150:18 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 92 | 4.80 | 673 | 0.863 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Steve Guenette | 11 | 573:53 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 4.29 | 308 | 0.867 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Frank Pietrangelo | 15 | 669:20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 4.03 | 408 | 0.890 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rick Tabaracci | 1 | 33:05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7.25 | 21 | 0.810 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 4832:57 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 344 | 4.27 | 2851 | 0.879 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 57 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso | 11 | 631:10 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 3.80 | 388 | 0.897 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Wendell Young | 1 | 38:38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.55 | 11 | 0.909 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 669:48 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 3.68 | 399 | 0.897 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
$^†$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

* Paul Coffey, Defence, NHL First All-Star Team
* Mario Lemieux, Center, NHL First All-Star Team
* Mario Lemieux, Art Ross Trophy
* Mario Lemieux, Center, NHL First All-Star Team
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 100 assists in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–8 loss to Hartford on February 26.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 170 points in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 2–3 loss to Los Angeles on March 7.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 180 points in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 2–8 loss to Boston on March 14.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 110 assists in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 2–7 loss to Minnesota on March 20.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 190 points in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–4 win over New York on March 27.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 80 goals in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–9 loss to Hartford on March 30.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 400 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–8 loss to Hartford on February 26.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 700 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 4–5 loss to Washington on March 22.
* Mario Lemieux established a new franchise record for goals (85), assists (114) and points (199) in a season. He had set all three records the previous season.
* Mario Lemieux established a new franchise record for assists (415) and points (715). He broke the previous records of 349 assists (Syl Apps Jr.) and 636 points (Rick Kehoe)
* Paul Coffey established a new franchise record for goals (30), assists (83) and points (113) in a season by a defenseman. He broke the records of 16 goals, 67 assists and 83 points all set by Randy Carlyle in 1981.
* Rod Buskas established a new franchise record for penalty minutes (946). He broke the previous records of 871 PIM held by Bryan Watson.
* Mario Lemieux established a new franchise record for highest plus-minus in a season (+41). He broke the previous high of +36 set by Lowell MacDonald in 1973.
* Mario Lemieux, NHL Record, Most Shorthanded Goals, One Season (13)

## Transactions
### Trades

| September 1, 1988 | To Philadelphia Flyers 1990 3rd round pick | To Pittsburgh Penguins Wendell Young 1990 7th round pick |
| October 3, 1988 | To Buffalo Sabres Wayne Van Dorp | To Pittsburgh Penguins 1990 7th round pick |
| November 1, 1988 | To Minnesota North Stars rights to Rob Gaudreau | To Pittsburgh Penguins Richard Zemlak |
| November 12, 1988 | To Buffalo Sabres Doug Bodger Darrin Shannon | To Pittsburgh Penguins Tom Barrasso 1990 3rd round pick |
| December 17, 1988 | To Minnesota North Stars Steve Gotaas Ville Siren | To Pittsburgh Penguins Scott Bjugstad Gord Dineen |
| January 9, 1989 | To Calgary Flames Steve Guenette | To Pittsburgh Penguins 1989 6th round pick |
| March 6, 1989 | To Los Angeles Kings Pat Mayer | To Pittsburgh Penguins Tim Tookey |

### Player signings

| Player | Date | Contract terms |
| John Cullen | June 21, 1988 | Unknown |
| Mark Recchi | August 17, 1988 | Multi-year contract |
| Steve Guenette | August 29, 1988 | Multi-year contract |
| Darrin Shannon | September 7, 1988 | Multi-year contract |
| Bruce Racine | September 21, 1988 | Multi-year contract |
| Mario Lemieux | November 1, 1988 | 1 year/$1.6 million |
| Dan Quinn | November 5, 1988 | Multi-year contract |
| Jamie Leach | March 22, 1989 | Multi-year contract |
| Dave Michayluk | May 24, 1989 | Unknown |

### Other

| Player | Date | Details |
| Pierre Creamer | June 14, 1988 | Replaced as head coach |
| Gene Ubriaco | June 28, 1988 | Hired as head coach |
| Dave Hunter | October 3, 1988 | Sent to Oilers as compensation for claiming Dave Hannan in waiver draft |

## Draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1988 NHL entry draft.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 4 | Darrin Shannon | L | Canada | Windsor Compuware Spitfires (OHL) |
| 2 | 25 | Mark Major | L | Canada | North Bay Centennials (OHL) |
| 3 | 62 | Daniel Gauthier | L | Canada | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 67 | Mark Recchi | R | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 5 | 88 | Greg Andrusak | D | Canada | U. of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) |
| 7 | 130 | Troy Mick | L | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) |
| 8 | 151 | Jeffrey Blaeser | L | United States | St. John's Prep (Mass H.S.) |
| 9 | 172 | Robert Gaudreau | C | United States | Bishop Hendricken H.S. (RI) |
| 10 | 193 | Donald Pancoe | L | Canada | Hamilton Steelhawks (OHL) |
| 11 | 214 | Cory Laylin | L | United States | St. Cloud Apollo H.S. (Minn.) |
| 12 | 235 | Darren Stolk | D | Canada | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) |
| S | 4 | Paul Polillo | C | Canada | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| S | 9 | Shawn Lillie | C | Canada | Colgate University (ECAC) |

### Draft notes

* The Pittsburgh Penguins' third-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a December 17, 1987, trade that sent Perry Ganchar and future considerations (1988 third-round pick (#62-Daniel Gauthier)) to the Penguins in exchange for a future considerations (this pick).
* $^a$ The Montreal Canadiens' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a December 17, 1987, trade that sent future considerations (1988 third-round pick (#46-Neil Carnes)) to the Canadiens in exchange for Perry Ganchar and future considerations (this pick).
* The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a February 4, 1988, trade that sent Bryan Erickson to the Penguins in exchange for Chris Kontos and future considerations (this pick).