2007 – 08 Pittsburgh Penguins season The 2007 – 08 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise ' s 40th season in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Their regular season began on October 5 , 2007 , against the Carolina Hurricanes and concluded on April 6 , 2008 , against the rival Philadelphia Flyers . The Penguins looked to improve upon their progress in the 2006 – 07 season after being eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Ottawa Senators . During the season , the Penguins wore gold patches with " 250 " on them , honoring the city of Pittsburgh ' s 250th anniversary in 2008 . Evgeni Malkin scored 106 points in the regular season , helping to offset the gap left while Sidney Crosby was injured . Goaltender Ty Conklin replaced Marc - Andre Fleury , who was also injured , to win 18 games . The team surpassed their record for total attendance , selling out all 41 home games for the first time in franchise history . The Penguins also participated in the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic , which set the NHL single - game attendance record . During the regular season , the Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference , behind the Montreal Canadiens . With a 12 – 2 record in the playoffs , the team eliminated the Senators , the New York Rangers and the Flyers , on their way to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals , the franchise ' s first in 16 years . The team was defeated in the Stanley Cup Final by the Detroit Red Wings in six games . Regular season . The Penguins ' offseason activities began in May 2007 , with the team naming Sidney Crosby its captain . At just 19 years old , Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history . Crosby was named the first Penguins captain since the retirement of Mario Lemieux in January 2006 ; Crosby , Mark Recchi , Sergei Gonchar and John LeClair served as alternate captains after Lemieux ' s retirement . Veteran Gary Roberts was named as an alternate captain for the new season , joining Recchi and Gonchar . The Penguins also extended head coach Michel Therrien ' s contract through the 2008 – 09 season . On September 17 , the NHL announced that on January 1 , 2008 , the Penguins would travel to Orchard Park , New York to play the Buffalo Sabres outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the " AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic " . The event marked the first time a regular - season contest was played outdoors in the United States . The Penguins began the regular season on October 5 visiting the Carolina Hurricanes . The team played their home - opener against the Anaheim Ducks on October 6 in front of a standing - room - only crowd of 17 , 132 , the first of 41 sellouts over the course of the season . Through November 21 , the Penguins acquired a record of 8 – 11 – 2 , going 2 – 6 – 1 against Atlantic Division teams in November including a four - game losing streak , their longest of the season . Following a Thanksgiving Day shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators , the Penguins won seven of the next eight games , including the franchise ' s first sweep of a Western Canada road trip . Beginning on December 23 , the Penguins compiled a point streak of ten games , including eight consecutive victories , the longest winning streak for the Penguins in nearly ten years . In January and February , the team was 16 – 6 – 5 , climbing the conference standings with the help of goaltender Ty Conklin and center Evgeni Malkin . During the final full month , in March , the team was 10 – 4 – 1 , and 7 – 0 – 0 at home in Mellon Arena . The team concluded the regular season with a home - and - home series against the Philadelphia Flyers , with each team winning a game . The Penguins suffered from several injuries during the season . Many of the injuries were long - term . By the end of the season , the team had missed a combined total of over 280 man games due to injury . Goalie Marc - Andre Fleury sustained a high - ankle sprain against the Calgary Flames on December 6 . Following the injury , Fleury was ruled out for six to eight weeks . The Penguins recalled Ty Conklin from the American Hockey League to serve as a back - up to Dany Sabourin on an emergency basis . Conklin started for the first time on December 20 , winning the game 5 – 4 in a shootout . After winning his first nine starts and supplanting Sabourin as the starting goaltender , Conklin lost his first game , a shootout , on January 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers . Before Fleury ' s eventual return as a starter on March 2 , Conklin recorded a mark of 17 – 6 – 5 , while Sabourin went 4 – 6 – 0 . Crosby also sustained a high ankle sprain on January 18 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and was ruled out for six to eight weeks . Crosby returned on March 4 , playing in three games before being removed from the lineup again on March 12 . After missing the next seven games , Crosby returned against the New York Islanders on March 27 , after missing 28 games . The injury forced Crosby to miss the All - Star Game , where he was the leading vote - getter for the second year in a row . Teammate Evgeni Malkin was selected to play for the Eastern Conference team in place of the injured Crosby . Following the release of Recchi in early December and injuries to Crosby and Roberts ( Recchi ' s replacement ) , Sergei Gonchar remained the Penguins ' only active captain . The team assigned two new alternate captains , with Ryan Malone and Darryl Sydor serving during the injuries . After the injury to Crosby on January 18 , a make - shift line composed of Malkin , Malone , and Petr Sykora , dubbed the “ Steel City Line ” , helped sustain the Penguins ' standing . Malkin scored 46 points during Crosby ' s absence . Winter Classic . With an attendance of 71 , 417 , the Winter Classic , held on January 1 , 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium , surpassed the NHL single - game attendance record set on November 22 , 2003 , when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton before 57 , 167 fans in the Heritage Classic . The New Year ' s Day game between the Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres was broadcasted nationwide on NBC in the United States , CBC in Canada , all Westwood One affiliates in the US and Canada , and on XM satellite radio . The Penguins defeated the Sabres , 2 – 1 , with a shootout goal from Crosby . Fan support . On December 21 , 2007 , at a game against the New York Islanders , the Penguins tied a franchise record with 30 straight regular - season sellouts , dating to the second half of the 2006 – 07 season . The record was surpassed at the next home game against the Boston Bruins on December 23 , with the 31st consecutive sellout of the regular season . On March 12 , against the Buffalo Sabres , with a standing - room - only crowd of 17 , 132 , the Penguins set a franchise record after selling out all 35 games to date , surpassing the record set during the 1988 – 89 and 1989 – 90 seasons when the Penguins sold out 34 of 40 home games . For the first time in the franchise ' s 41 - year history , the team sold out all 41 home games , concluding with their Atlantic Division - clinching victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on April 2 . At 17 , 089 , the average attendance for a home game was greater than Mellon Arena ' s seating capacity of 16 , 940 , causing the team ' s season attendance to exceed 100 % capacity . The 67 consecutive sellouts attracted 888 , 653 total fans , a record for home attendance for the franchise . The March 27 game against the Islanders received a television rating of 10 . 7 , the second - highest rating all - time for a Penguins game . The only game to draw a higher rating , at 15 . 9 , was the comeback of Mario Lemieux against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 27 , 2000 . The flagship station for Penguins television broadcasts , FSN Pittsburgh , had the highest - rated NHL broadcasts of any of the Fox Sports Net regional affiliates for the second year in a row . Strong support from fans continued into the playoffs , as the Penguins sold out their first two home games in 11 minutes . The team erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena , allowing fans to watch all playoff games outside of the stadium , free of charge . A rally scheduled by Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato and Mayor of Pittsburgh Luke Ravenstahl took place in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse prior to Game Two of the team ' s first - round series on April 11 . The Penguins ' third game of the playoffs attracted the third - highest regional viewing audience all - time for a Penguins game . The 4 , 200 tickets offered for the team ' s first two home games of Round Two sold out within 10 minutes . As the playoffs advanced into the later rounds , the team had growing support from players and coaches of other teams in Pittsburgh , including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates , and many of the players attended games . Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watched Game Six of the finals outside Mellon Arena , along with 3 , 000 other fans . Prior to the Stanley Cup Final , Mayor Ravenstahl led a rally in the city ' s Market Square which featured chanting by the several hundred people in attendance ; cooked octopus was also served by Wholey ' s Fish Market , in reference to the Detroit tradition of throwing octopi onto the ice . The team also opened up Mellon Arena for fans to watch away games on the JumboTron during the Stanley Cup Final ; over 13 , 500 people attended Game One . Fans who watched the three games played in Detroit raised over $ 85 , 000 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research . The Penguins also ranked first in the league in merchandise sales . In an annual survey of over 80 , 000 fans conducted by " ESPN The Magazine " titled " Ultimate Standings : Fan Satisfaction Rankings , " the Penguins ranked as the best National Hockey League team in terms of fan relations . The team also ranked third in that category , out of all 122 major sports franchises of the National Football League , National Basketball Association , Major League Baseball and the NHL . In the overall standings , the Penguins ranked seventh in the NHL , and 24th of the 122 teams in all four leagues . During the 2006 – 07 season , the team ranked 11th in the NHL , and 35th overall . Plans for the future . During the All - Star break , the league announced that the Penguins would open the 2008 – 09 season with games on October 4 and 5 against the Ottawa Senators at the Globe Arena in Stockholm , Sweden . Also , the New York Rangers would open against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague , Czech Republic . Later , on March 12 , the league and the NHL Players Association announced that the Penguins would play an exhibition game against Jokerit of the SM - liiga , the top professional league in Finland , on October 2 , at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki . Progress was made towards the team ' s new arena on March 22 , when the former St . Francis Hospital , across the street from Mellon Arena , was imploded . Following debris removal and site preparation , groundbreaking for construction began in the summer . Season results . The Penguins clinched their second consecutive playoff berth on March 25 in a 2 – 0 victory against the New Jersey Devils and earned the second - seed in the Eastern Conference . Two years removed from their last - place Eastern Conference finish in 2006 , the Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division for the first time ever , when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers , 4 – 2 . The division championship was the first for the Penguins since winning the Northeast Division in 1998 . It was the best finish by the team since finishing second in the 1997 – 98 season . The 102 points the Penguins gained during the season was the team ' s fifth 100 - point season . The Penguins raised banners for their top finish in the Atlantic Division and subsequent Eastern Conference playoff championship prior to the first Mellon Arena home game of the 2008 – 09 season . Playoffs . Eastern Conference Quarter - final . The Penguins opened the playoffs against the 7th - seed Ottawa Senators , in the Eastern Conference quarter - final . In the opening game on April 9 in Pittsburgh ' s Mellon Arena , the Penguins defeated the Senators 4 – 0 . In the game , Evgeni Malkin scored his first career playoff goal , Marc - Andre Fleury recorded his first career playoff shutout , Petr Sykora added a goal , and Gary Roberts scored twice . In Game Two , the Penguins took a lead of 3 – 0 following a goal from Sergei Gonchar and two from Sykora . The Senators came back to tie the game in the third period , before Ryan Malone scored twice to give the Penguins their second victory in the series . The Pens got four unanswered goals from Max Talbot , Sidney Crosby , Jordan Staal and Marian Hossa to defeat the Senators 4 – 1 in Game Three , the first game in Ottawa ' s Scotiabank Place . Two days later , the Penguins managed to eliminate the Senators in four games , the only team to do so in the first round . The team got goals from Malkin , Crosby , and the series - winner from Jarkko Ruutu in the second period , to defeat the Senators , 3 – 1 . The Penguins were the first team to advance from the opening round . The series win was the team ' s first since the 2001 Stanley Cup Playoffs , and the first sweep of a playoff series in 16 years . Eastern Conference Semi - finals . The Penguins began the Eastern Conference Semi - final against their Atlantic Division rival New York Rangers on April 25 . The team overcame a 3 – 0 deficit to defeat the Rangers , 5 – 4 in Game 1 . Hossa tied the game 4 : 40 into the third period , and Sykora took the lead twenty seconds later . After Scott Gomez tied the game at four , Malkin scored the game - winning goal , deflecting a shot by Crosby with 1 : 41 left . In Game Two , Staal scored a powerplay goal to take a 1 – 0 lead . In the last minute , Adam Hall shot the puck down ice , and it drifted into the empty net . Marc - Andre Fleury saved all 26 shots , and the Penguins took a 2 – 0 lead in the series . The Penguins entered Game Three at Madison Square Gardens after going 0 – 3 – 1 in the building during the regular season . They led 3 – 1 after the first period , before Jaromír Jágr tied the game . Malkin scored on the powerplay with 2 : 07 left in the second period to take the lead , and Malone added a goal in the third to give the Pens a 5 – 3 win , and a 3 – 0 series lead . The Penguins lost their first game of the post - season in Game Four against the Rangers . Jagr scored in the second period , Brandon Dubinsky in the third , and Jagr scored again on an empty net goal in the last minute to force Game Five . In Game Five , the Penguins took a 2 – 0 lead in the second period after goals from Malkin and Hossa , before the Rangers tied in the third . The game entered overtime , the first of the playoffs for the Penguins , where Hossa scored his second goal of the game 7 : 10 in . With the goal , the Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals . Eastern Conference Final . The Eastern Conference Final began between the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on May 9 . Malkin scored with 7 seconds left in the first period to take a 3 – 2 lead , and extended the advantage with a shorthanded goal in the second period , giving the Penguins a 1 – 0 advantage in the series after Game One . In Game Two , Talbot scored to take the lead in the third period , and Staal added an empty - net goal to give the Penguins a 4 – 2 win , and a 2 – 0 series lead . The win was the Penguins ' seventh consecutive home playoff win , a franchise record , improving on a six - game streak in the 1991 – 1992 playoffs . The Penguins also became only the fifth team to start the playoffs with a 10 – 1 record , and the first since the Detroit Red Wings in 1995 . Game Three saw the series move across state to Philadelphia ; the Penguins struck quickly with goals from Ryan Whitney and Hossa within the first eight minutes . Hossa added his second goal on an empty net to seal the victory . With the win the Penguins become the first team since the 1983 Edmonton Oilers to start the playoffs 11 - 1 . The Penguins failed to close out the Eastern Conference Finals with a sweep of the Flyers in Game Four , losing 4 - 2 . The Flyers jumped out to a 3 – 0 lead in the first period . The Penguins fought back getting two goals from Jordan Staal in the third period , but Joffrey Lupul ' s second goal on an empty net sealed the win for the Flyers . The series returned to Pittsburgh for Game Five , where the Penguins won their eighth consecutive home game by a final score of 6 – 0 , the Prince of Wales Trophy , and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final . Stanley Cup Final . The Penguins faced the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings for the Stanley Cup . The best - of - seven series began in Detroit on May 24 , the first series the Penguins opened on the road . It was the third Stanley Cup Final appearance for the Penguins franchise , the first since consecutive victories during the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup Finals . The Red Wings made their 23rd appearance , and first since 2002 . The series ended on June 4 with the Red Wings winning in six games . In game one at Detroit ' s Joe Louis Arena , the Red Wings opened scoring in the second period with a goal from Mikael Samuelsson before finishing with three goals in the third period from Samuelsson , Dan Cleary and Henrik Zetterberg , shutting out the Penguins 4 – 0 . In preparation for Game Two , head coach Michel Therrien revised Pittsburgh ' s lines ; the changes included starting Gary Roberts , who did not play in Game One . In game two , the Penguins were shut out for a second time . Detroit ' s Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmström scored in the first period and Valtteri Filppula added a third goal in the third period . Pittsburgh struggled , failing to direct a shot on goal for the first twelve minutes of the game . Pittsburgh shuffled their lineup again prior to Game Three , replacing defensman Kris Letang with Darryl Sydor . Game three saw the Penguins score their first goal of the Final , when Crosby netted a wrist shot 17 : 25 into the opening period . Crosby added his second goal of the game early in the second period . In the third , Hall added the game winning goal in the final period with assists from Talbot and Roberts . The Penguins held off a late charge by the Red Wings to win their first game of the Stanley Cup Final by a score of 3 – 2 . Entering game four , Sykora said the game was a must - win for the Penguins , " For us , basically , [ Game 4 ] is a do - or - die game " . Despite an early goal from Hossa , the Penguins were unable to hold off the Red Wings , who got goals from Nicklas Lidström and Jiří Hudler . The Penguins inability to capitalize on a 5 - on - 3 man advantage which lasted for 1 : 26 , sealed the third victory of the series for the Red Wings . In game five of the series , Pittsburgh faced elimination in Detroit , where they had not yet won in the series . Down 3 – 2 with 35 seconds remaining in regulation , Talbot scored for the Penguins , who had removed goaltender Marc - Andre Fleury to gain an extra skater . The goal tied the game at three , forcing it into sudden - death overtime . In the third overtime period , Sykora scored at the 109 : 21 mark of the game to give the Penguins the victory and force Game Six . Sykora ' s goal was assisted by Malkin , who had struggled in the series , and Gonchar , who was returning for his first shift in fifty minutes due to an injury . In the fifth - longest Stanley Cup game in history , goaltender Fleury stopped 55 shots , with 24 in overtime . Ryan Malone played in Game Six , despite being hit in the face with the puck in Game Five . Dave Molinari of the " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette " wrote that the team " seemed almost in awe of the way Malone reacted to a significant facial injury the way most people would a paper cut . " In game six , Pittsburgh got goals from Malkin , his first in Stanley Cup Final play , and Hossa . Entering the final minute and trailing by one , Pittsburgh pulled Fleury for the second time that game , hoping to score with circumstances similar to Hossa ' s earlier goal . A tipped shot which passed in between Chris Osgood and the goal line as time expired did not enter the net , giving Detroit the victory . Pittsburgh ' s final defeat of the season was by a score of 3 - 2 . " Player in italics scored winning goal . " Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Goaltenders . " Note : GP = Games Played ; GS = Games Started ; MIN = Minutes played ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OT = Overtime / Shootout Losses ; GA = Goals Against ; GAA = Goals Against Average ; SA = Shots Against ; SV = Saves ; SV % = Save Percentage ; SO = Shutouts " Awards and records . Tyler Kennedy , Jonathan Filewich , Chris Minard and Alex Goligoski played in their first NHL games . Kennedy , Minard and Connor James scored their first goals , while Goligoski , Ryan Stone and Ty Conklin recorded first points . Evgeni Malkin recorded his first hat trick on January 3 . In addition , Evgeni Malkin , Maxime Talbot and Ryan Malone scored their first playoff goals . Rob Scuderi , Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang recorded their first playoff points . Marc - Andre Fleury recorded his first playoff shutout . Awards . Evgeni Malkin was added to the All - Star Game on January 22 , as a replacement following an injury to Sidney Crosby . In the game , Malkin recorded two assists . On April 29 , the league announced that Malkin , along with Alexander Ovechkin and Jarome Iginla , was named as a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy , awarded to the player most valuable to his team . With 106 points , Malkin was the Penguins ' leader in scoring . He finished second in the league only to Ovechkin . At one point in the season , Malkin recorded a 15 - game point streak , the longest by a Russia n player in the NHL . In June he was announced as the league ' s top center and honored on the First All - Star Team alongside Ovechkin and Iginla , defencemen Nicklas Backstrom and Dion Phaneuf , and goalie Evgeni Nabokov . The Penguins benefited from the success of several players who were called up from the team ' s American Hockey League affiliate , the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins . Forward Tyler Kennedy was first recalled on October 27 . Defenceman Kris Letang was recalled on November 13 and immediately contributed to the Penguins shootout , scoring on all of his first five attempts , including during the Winter Classic on January 1 . Of his five shots , three won the game for the Penguins . Kennedy and Letang were selected to compete in the YoungStars competition for rookies during the All - Star break . On April 2 , following the final home game against the Philadelphia Flyers , the team announced its award winners for the season . Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association , the Penguins Booster Club , as well as voted amongst the team . Transactions . Free agents . The free agency period began on July 1 . The Penguins saw forward Michel Ouellet and goaltender Jocelyn Thibault leave as free agents to Tampa Bay and Buffalo . To fill openings in the Penguins roster , the team signed goaltender Dany Sabourin , defenceman Darryl Sydor , and forwards Petr Sykora and Adam Hall . The organization also signed forwards Nathan Smith , Chris Minard and Jeff Taffe , as well as goaltender Ty Conklin for their AHL minor league affiliate , the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins . Trades . On December 5 , following talk of the team ' s future with Mark Recchi , the team placed the veteran right wing on waiver s . After clearing without being claimed , Recchi was assigned to the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League the next day . The following day , before playing a game with Wilkes - Barre / Scranton , Recchi was placed on re - entry waivers , where he could again be claimed by another team . On Saturday , December 8 , Recchi was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers , with whom he joined the following Tuesday . The Penguins and the Thrashers would split the remaining cost of his $ 1 . 75 million contract . On February 26 , just minutes before the trade deadline , the Penguins made a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers to acquire right wings Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis in exchange for wing Colby Armstrong , center Erik Christensen , prospect Angelo Esposito , and a 1st round pick in the 2008 draft . In another trade , the Pens brought in the 6 - foot - 7 defenceman Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second - round pick in the 2008 draft , and a fifth - round pick in the 2009 draft . Draft picks . The 2007 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 22 and 23 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus , Ohio . With the 20th overall pick , the Penguins selected Angelo Esposito of the Quebec Remparts in the first round . The Penguins selected eight players ( five forwards and three defensemen ) in six of the seven rounds . All of the players remained with their junior league teams in Canada . Farm teams . The Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins finished first in the AHL East Division during the 2007 – 08 season . In the Calder Cup Playoffs , the " Baby Penguins " advanced through the Eastern Conference bracket with a record of 12 – 5 . In the Calder Cup Final , they lost to the Chicago Wolves ( ATL ) , four games to two . In the ECHL , the Wheeling Nailers , a joint affiliate with the Philadelphia Flyers , finished last in the Northern Division , with a final record of 22 – 43 – 3 – 4 .