With losses in their last two games of the 2022-23 regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins' 16-year streak of consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff berths finally ended. It was the longest active playoff streak in any of the four major North American sports leagues, dating back to the 2006-07 season.

Over their illustrious streak, the team appeared in the Stanley Cup Final 4 times (2008, ‘09, ‘16, ‘17), winning thrice (‘09, ‘16, ‘17) and becoming the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998; they were also the second team in North American sports to win back-to-back championships this century, the first of which was the ‘03 and ‘04 New England Patriots.

The Last Penguins Team to Miss the Playoffs - 2005-06 NHL Season

The last time the Penguins missed the playoffs, the city of Pittsburgh said goodbye to the face of the franchise, Mario Lemieux, and welcomed in its next superstar, Sidney Crosby. Lemieux, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, played only 26 games in his final campaign before retiring due to health concerns. Sidney Crosby was the previous year’s first-overall pick and one of the highest-touted rookies ever. Despite lacking team success, Crosby’s 102-point rookie season gave hope to a reeling franchise.

The Birth of a Dynasty - 2006-07 - 2008-09 NHL Seasons

In the era since the implementation of the salary cap (2005-06), the Penguins have arguably been the most dominant team in the NHL. Their sufferings at the dawn of the century proved to be swift and worthwhile as they ended up with two first-overall draft picks and two second-overall draft picks between 2003 and 200. With their first overall picks, they selected goaltender Marc-André Fleury in 2003 and Sidney Crosby in 2005, and with their second overall picks they took Evgeni Malkin in 2004 and Jordan Staal in 2006.

Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft; Credit: Jonathan Hayward/AP

After stubborn attempts by Malkin’s Russian team, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, to keep him, in 2006, two years after being drafted, he fled Russia to play in the NHL. His arrival in Pittsburgh marked the beginning of a new era led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, dubbed the “two-headed monster.” The duo combined for 205 points in the 2006-07 season and led the team to the first of their sixteen consecutive playoff appearances; they went on to lose in the first round to the Ottawa Senators in five games.

Malkin went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year, a feat Crosby did not accomplish the season prior, after being runner-up to the duos’ soon-to-be long-time rival, Alexander Ovechkin. However, Crosby’s stellar sophomore season earned him three trophies, including the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s most valuable player. The Penguins also named Crosby captain after the season, making him the youngest player to assume that title in league history.
The following season, despite the near 30-game absence of Crosby due to injury, the Penguins returned to the playoffs. An unlikely candidate, defenseman Kris Letang, emerged as a breakout star. Letang was the Penguins’ third-round draft pick in 2005 and spent the next two seasons developing with his junior team in Quebec, though he played a few NHL games and made it to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, by the end of that time. After cementing himself as a talented defenceman, Letang began his NHL career in the 2007-08 season. He excelled in his rookie season and got invited to the NHL YoungStars Game during All-Star weekend.

In the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins faced the Ottawa Senators again in the first round with a chance for revenge, and they dominated Ottawa en route to a 4-0 series sweep. They carried their excellence into the East semifinals with a 4-1 series victory against the New York Rangers to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. The Penguins made light work of their conference finals opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers, also defeating them in five games to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1992.

Despite their 12-2 run through the playoffs, the Penguins went into the finals as underdogs to the President’s Trophy winners, the Detroit Red Wings. Their challenge was palpable after being shut out in the first two games. They won game three at home but ultimately lost the series in six games.

Sidney Crosby being forced to the ice by Detroit’s Andreas Lilja in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final; Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

One of the most integral pieces of their playoff run was veteran winger Marian Hossa. At the trade deadline, the Penguins acquired Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets). After a mediocre start in the regular season, Hossa finally began to put it together in the playoffs; he led the team in goals (12) and finished second in points (26), trailing only Crosby.

Believing he had found the perfect winger to play alongside Crosby, General Manager Ray Shero offered Hossa a seven-year $50 million contract. However, Hossa rejected the offer and signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings. “I want the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and I feel like Detroit is the team,” Hossa said after signing his deal.

Hossa initially appeared to make the right choice, as the Penguins slid down to 10th in the Eastern Conference, while the Red Wings remained the team to beat in the West. The poor start prompted the Penguins to fire head coach Michel Therrien and hire Dan Bylsma, coach of the team’s AHL affiliate in  Wilkes Barre. The change spurred the Penguins to finish the season 18-3-4 and 4th in the conference.

Hot off their strong finish and with a chip on their shoulders, the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs and advanced to the semi-finals, where they would face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

After the 3-1 series comeback over the New York Rangers, the Capitals extended their winning streak to 5 by taking an early 2-0 lead over the Penguins. In game 2, Crosby and Ovechkin had dueling hat tricks in what was a prelude to what was to come for the league for the foreseeable future. Despite the deficit, the Penguins did not let up and won four of the following five games to close out the series, including a commanding 6-2 victory on the road in game seven.

Crosby and Ovechkin in the handshake line after their 2009 series Credit: NBC Sports

The Penguins’ conference finals opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, proved to be no match for them as they swept them and became back-to-back Eastern Conference Champions.

A long-running superstition in hockey is that when a team wins a conference championship, they should not touch the conference champions' trophy and instead wait for the real prize. The Penguins followed the tradition when they won in 2008, but when Sidney Crosby skated to the podium in 2009, in hopes of shifting the team’s luck, he defied the superstition by touching the trophy and celebrating it with his teammates.

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games to set the stage for a Stanley Cup Final rematch.

Despite their pursuit of revenge, the Penguins were stagnant in games one and two, losing both 3-1. With a hole to dig out of for the second consecutive year, fans’ championship hopes dwindled again. However, the team knew the stakes and commandingly won games three and four at home. With a chance to drastically turn the tide in the series in game five, the Penguins fought hard through the first period; still, they could not perform in the electric Detroit atmosphere, allowing four goals in the second period and losing 5-0.

The Penguins held off elimination in game six on the back of a 25-save performance by Marc-Andre Fleury, forcing a game seven.

With the home team winning each game in the series, the Penguins entered game seven as significant underdogs. After a scoreless first period, an unlikely hero emerged in Penguins center Max Talbot who struck twice in the second period to open the scoring. However, the second period was not all smiles for the Penguins as Sidney Crosby left the game due to a knee injury after taking a brutal hit along the boards.

After the Red Wings stole one back with six minutes to play, the game came down to the wire. With an empty net and six players on the ice, the Red Wings fired away in the dying moments; their best chance came with 1 second remaining when four-time champion Niklas Lindstrom fielded a rebound and shot at a near-open net. Marc-Andre Fleury dove across the crease to make his now iconic save, and the team swarmed him in celebration.

The Penguins defied the odds and crowned themselves Stanley Cup Champions for the first time since they went back-to-back in 1991 and ‘92 in Mario Lemiuex’s prime.

Fleury’s game-winning save; Credit: The Athletic

Sidney Crosby made history by being the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup in NHL history at 21. Meanwhile, after leading the league in scoring in the regular season, Evgeni Malkin again led the team in points in the playoffs securing the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

Dan Bylsma became the second head coach to win the Stanley Cup in his rookie season. He told the Associated Press, “When you lift that Cup, Stanley Cup champion will go by your name forever."

The victory ended the Red Wings’ dynasty after they failed to capture their second consecutive title and fifth in the last twelve years. The sting in Detroit was none more significant than it was for Marian Hossa, who spurned the Penguins in free agency; Hossa scored no goals in the series and was on the losing side of both Penguins vs. Red Wings’ matchups.

A Rough Patch - 2009-10 - 2014-15 NHL Seasons

Following the Penguins’ championship run, they were the team to beat in the 2009-10 season and beyond. They finished the 2009-10 season second in their division, and Sidney Crosby won the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals.

They won the first round of the playoffs against the Senators, but their luck ran out in the second round when the underdog 8-seed Montreal Canadians defeated them in seven games.

After falling flat that season, they hoped to turn it around the following year in the 2010-11 season. The team started strong, but injuries to Crosby and Malkin cut each of their seasons in half and caused them to lack offensive production in the latter half of the year. Still, they held onto second in their division and boasted one of the best records in the NHL.

Despite Crosby and Malkin's lingering absence, the Penguins took a 3-1 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. However, their superstars' absence caught up to them, and they lost the series' final three games. Although they lost in the first round, the season was far from a disappointment, considering the circumstances.

Malkin returned for the 2011-12 season, but the lasting impacts of Sidney Crosby’s concussion symptoms from the previous season limited him to only 22 games. The team seemed to survive his absence, though, as they again recorded one of the league’s best records. However, they fell short in the playoffs, losing 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

Due to a lockout at the start of the 2012-2013 season, the NHL season was reduced to just  48 games. With Crosby and Malkin almost fully healthy, the team finished the regular season with the Eastern Conference’s best record, trailing only the Chicago Blackhawks for the league-best.

The Penguins entered the playoffs as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup and proved it with two swift series victories over the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators. Yet the conference finals told a different story. The Penguins faced the Boston Bruins, and even with home-ice advantage, they posted one of the worst playoff performances in the history of the NHL, scoring only two goals in four games as the Bruins brutally swept them.

Evgeni Malkin after the Penguins 2013 defeat; Credit: Getty Images

After their stunning playoff collapse, the team rebounded in the 2013-14 regular season, winning the newly formed Metropolitan Division. However, a stellar regular season once again led to playoff disappointment, as they blew a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers in the second round. Following the loss, head coach Dan Bylsma was fired and replaced by long-time junior hockey coach Mike Johnston.

In 2014-15, the team started strong but quickly petered out, squeaking into the last playoff spot. They faced the Rangers in the first round with a chance at revenge but lost handily in 5 games.

Over the five years following their 2009 Stanley Cup win, the Penguins boasted arguably one of the best teams on paper and were amongst the favorites to win each year, yet they never put it together in the playoffs.

The Turnaround - 2015-16 - 2016-17 NHL Seasons

In the months leading up to the 2015-16 season, the Penguins appeared to be gearing up for a bounceback. General Manager Jim Rutherford acquired Toronto Maple Leafs’ star winger, Phil Kessel, and veteran center Nick Bonino from the Vancouver Canucks. However, the moves were not initially apparent due to the team’s sluggish offensive start.

Rutherford believed the team was greatly underachieving in this category, prompting his decision to fire second-year head coach Mike Johnston. As a replacement, Rutherford hired Mike Sullivan, the coach of the team’s AHL affiliate. The Penguins started 0-4 under Sullivan but began to pick up soon afterward.

Speed defined them after the change, as they became one of the fastest teams in the league. Contributing to that speed was the acquisition of forward Carl Hagelin from the Anaheim Ducks and Sullivan’s commitment to give young players ice time. During Sullivan’s time in Wilkes Barre/Scranton, he familiarized himself with Penguins prospects, many of whom were soon called up to the NHL.

Mike Sullivan behind the bench in 2016; Credit: Sports Illustrated

Offensive production drastically improved; the team finished the season third in the league in goals per game (2.94), and Sidney Crosby finished third in points (85) despite a lackluster start under Johnston.

The team also padded their blueline with the acquisitions of defensemen Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz.

The most integral addition to the team came in goalie Matt Murray, who was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to back up Marc Andre-Fleury. The Penguins selected Murray in the third round of the NHL Draft in 2012, and he played two more years of junior hockey before coming to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He excelled there in his two seasons, breaking several AHL records and getting on Coach Sullivan’s radar. Upon being called to the NHL, he started 13 games and went 9-2-1 with a stellar 2.00 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the New York Rangers, who had eliminated them the previous two seasons. However, this Penguins team was different; they were the hottest team in the league and determined not to lose to the same team three years in a row.

The biggest roadblock in the series was the absence of Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray due to late-season injuries. Jeff Zatkoff, the team’s third-string goalie, had to start at least the first few games of the series. With home-ice advantage, Zatkoff put on a show in game 1, stopping 35 of 37 to lead the Penguins to a victory. In game 2, however, he did not fare as well, allowing four goals and arguably being the reason for the team’s loss.

Heading to New York for games 3 and 4, the Penguins cleared Matt Murray to play. Despite Murray’s regular season production, questions remained about how he would fare under the pressure of the playoffs. Those questions evaporated after he limited the Rangers to one goal in game 3 and shut them out in game 4. Returning home with a 3-1 series lead, the Penguins routed the Rangers 6-3 in game 5 to close out the series.

Matt Murray in his 5-0 shutout against the Rangers; Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

In the second round, the Penguins and Capitals matched up, finally giving fans the long-awaited rematch between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals won the President’s Trophy for having the best regular season record and were largely the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

In game 1, fans were buzzing in Washington with hopes of getting back at their rivals after so many years. The Capitals took advantage of the atmosphere with T.J. Oshie, one of their preseason acquisitions, scoring a hat trick, including the game-winning goal in overtime. In game 2, the Penguins squeaked out of Washington with a win off of a goal in the final minutes to break a 1-1 tie.

When the series came to Pittsburgh, Matt Murray took control of it with a dominant 47-save victory in game 3, followed by 34 in game 4. The Capitals’ unstoppable powerplay the following game halted the Penguins from closing out the series in five.

In game 6, the Penguins’ third line, dubbed the HBK line, became Pittsburgh legends. The Penguins’ latest offensive acquisitions, Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel, comprised the line. Although they had been productive throughout the playoffs, they made a name for themselves in game 6, contributing to each of the Penguins’ four goals, including the overtime game-winner to end the series.

Nick Bonino’s overtime game-winner; Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

In the Eastern Conference Final, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning, the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. Early in game 1, the Lightning’s starting goalie, Ben Bishop, writhed in agony with an apparent lower-body injury. The sight of the injury, however, did not deter the Lightning as they won the game 3-1 with the help of a strong performance by backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Penguins bounced back in game 2 with a 3-2 overtime victory. The Penguins and Lightning split games 3 and 4 in Tampa Bay, leading to a high-stakes game 5 for the series lead. A late tying goal by the Lightning and an early strike in overtime led the Lightning to victory.

On the brink of elimination for the first time in the playoffs, the Penguins faced a critical game 6 on the road. Five minutes into the game, Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin scored, sending the Tampa crowd into a frenzy. However, Coach Sullivan challenged the play, and referees determined that Druin entered the zone narrowly offsides, overturning the goal. The Penguins pounced on the silenced crowd with three unanswered goals in the first two periods; the Lightning got back in the game, but ultimately the Penguins netted two more to force game 7.

After a relatively high-scoring series, game 7 ended in a dogfight between young goalies Matt Murray and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Neither budged in the first period; however, Bryan Rust scored an early goal for the Penguins to start the second. The Lightning struck back midway through the period, but the game didn’t stay tied long as just 30 seconds later, Rust scored again. The Lightning fired away to try and tie the game, but in the end, Murray stopped 16 of 17 en route to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

In the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup appearance since their 2009 victory, they faced the San Jose Sharks, a team that had never won. The Penguins entered the series as favorites and proved it by winning the first two games. Seeking a commanding 3-0 lead in game 3, the Penguins heavily outshot the Sharks, but a strong performance from Sharks’ goalie, Martin Jones, lifted them to a 3-2 overtime victory. In the following game, Matt Murray stole the show with stops on 23 of 24 shots leading the Penguins to a 3-1 series lead.

In game 5, the Penguins had a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup on home ice, a feat they had never accomplished. However, despite a booming crowd, Martin Jones showed up when it mattered most with saves on 44 of 46 shots and kept the Sharks’ hopes alive. With a second chance to close out the series, the Penguins took a 2-1 lead after the second period in game 6. In the final minutes, the Sharks desperately tried to come back, but Patric Hornqvist sealed the Penguins’ victory with an empty net goal.

The Penguins celebrating with the Stanley Cup; Credit: NHL.com

The title marked the Penguins’ fourth Stanley Cup and the second of the Crosby and Malkin era. Phil Kessel hoisted his first Stanley Cup after a long unsuccessful start to his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs; Kessel also led the team in goals and points in the playoffs; however, Sidney Crosby ultimately won the Conn Smythe trophy. Also, Matt Murray completed the postseason with 15 wins, tying the record for the most by a rookie goalie.

The team’s championship parade attracted a whopping 400,000 fans to downtown Pittsburgh.

The 2016-17 season began with a banner-raising ceremony in the home opener against the Capitals. The season also marked the start of the Penguins’ 50th season, which they celebrated with jersey patches and a new center-ice logo.

The Penguins 50 year home-ice logo; Credit: Trib Live

The Penguins were victorious in the opener and never seemed to slow down, winning 50 games and boasting the second-best record in the league behind only their division rivals, the Capitals. They also averaged the most goals per game in the league (3.44). Sidney Crosby led the charge individually with 89 points, trailing only Connor McDavid, and a league-best 44 goals, earning him his second Rocket Richard Trophy. The team also had a strong pair of goalies that shared the starting role in Murray and Fleury; however, Murray suffered a late-season injury giving Fleury the reins to begin the playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Penguins faced the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were coming off their best season in franchise history. Their championship hopes dwindled quickly, though, as the Penguins won the series' first three games.

The focal point of the Penguins’ dominance was a stretch of strong performances by rookie winger Jake Guentzel that culminated in a hat-trick in game 3, including the overtime game-winner. The Penguins selected Guentzel out of the University of Nebraska in the third round of the draft in 2013; he played there until his senior season when he chose to play in Wilkes-Barre instead. After a brief stint in the AHL, the Penguins called him up to make his NHL debut, where he quickly earned his spot on the team after scoring two goals on his first two shots and soon after earned a place on the first line alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.

In game 4, the Blue Jackets staved off elimination; however, the Penguins returned home and closed out the series with a game five victory on the back of a 49-save performance by Marc-Andre Fleury.

Meanwhile, a Capitals’ series victory over the Maple Leafs laid way for a rematch of the previous year’s second round and the third showdown between Crosby and Ovechkin; the Capitals were favored to win due to their stellar regular season and hunger for revenge.

Despite playing on the road, the Penguins won the first two games of the series, with Crosby being the difference-maker in game 1 by scoring two goals in 54 seconds to break the ice and an incredible offensive performance complimented by a strong outing from Marc-Andre Fleury in game 2.

In game three, the Penguins sought to take an insurmountable 3-0 series lead, but an early injury to Crosby dulled their offense and led to their loss. The hit that took him out of the game led to a lengthy debate over whether or not it was intentional and whether Matt Niskanen, the Capitals defenceman who administered it, should face disciplinary action.

The league ultimately let Niskanen off the hook, and Crosby remained out of the lineup for game 4. Minus their captain, the Penguins still managed to edge the Capitals and take a 3-1 series lead off of another strong performance in net from Fleury.

Crosby’s return to action was not enough to spark the Penguins to a series victory in game 5 as a dominant third period for the capitals earned them the win.

The Capitals overwhelmed the Penguins in game 6 and seemed to turn the tide of the series in their favor with an upcoming game 7, but two late goals for the Penguins gave them a sliver of momentum.

In game 7, the Capitals faced the opportunity to fully overcome a 3-1 series deficit and take revenge on the Penguins. After a scoreless first period, none other than Bryan Rust opened the scoring in the second period. His goal ended up being the game-winner as the Capitals never got one past Fleury over 29 shots. The goal also earned him the title “Mr. Elimination” for his clutch performances in game 7’s and as a form of mockery towards Capitals winger Justin Williams who fans dubbed “Mr. Game 7” for his career success in game 7’s; Williams was 7-0 in game 7’s before losing to the Penguins.

Marc-Andre Fleury making a save in his game 7 shutout; Credit: NHL.com

The Penguins entered the Eastern Conference Finals as huge favorites over their opponents, the Ottawa Senators. The Senators lacked franchise success up to this point; however, being one of the stronger defensive teams in the league, they managed to make a run. They showcased their defensive prowess early in the series as they split the first two games in Pittsburgh while only allowing two goals.

Their defense continued to shine in game 3 and their offense put on a show with four quick goals in the first period, resulting in Fleury being pulled from net and replaced by Matt Murray, who had recently been cleared to play. The change in goaltending was not enough to lead the Penguins out of the early deficit; however, a strong performance from Murray for the remainder of the game set up the dilemma of which goalie to start in game 4.

Ultimately, Coach Sullivan decided to play Murray and the decision proved right with a Penguins victory in game 4, followed by another in game 5, in which they routed the Senators 7-0 and took firm control over the series.

With the Penguins finally showing their true colors, a victory in game 6 seemed inevitable. Yet, the underdog Senators would not go out without a fight, and their goalie Craig Anderson rebounded with stops on 45 of 46 to force game 7.

Game 7 was just as tricky, with the Senators hanging around long enough to score late in regulation and force overtime. The game remained deadlocked after one overtime period, and double overtime commenced. At this point, it was anyone’s game wherein one lucky bounce could be the difference, or a simple mistake could be a catastrophe.

Early into double overtime, the Penguins retained the puck in the offensive zone, and fresh off of a line change, Crosby received it and carried it to the corner. He then hit a quick turnaround and took it to the faceoff dot, where he dished it out to Chris Kunitz, a Penguins veteran and 3-time Stanley Cup champion; Kunitz winded up for the one-timer and fired, finding the back of the net and erupting the crowd into a frenzy.

Kunitz and Crosby celebrating their 2OT victory; Credit: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

For the second year in a row, the Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, and for the third time out of their four wins, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin proudly touched the conference champions trophy.

The Penguins’ Captains celebrating the Prince of Wales Trophy; Credit: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

The Penguins faced the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Final. The Predators had the worst regular season of all 16 playoff teams, being only the 3rd 8-seed ever to make the Stanley Cup Final. As underdogs in each of their series, they relied on their star-studded defensemen and harnessed their electric fanbase by going 7-1 at home to overcome their challengers. P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm composed the team’s top two defensive pairings, and star goalie Pekka Rinne made them even more fearsome.

In game 1, the Penguins took a 3-0 lead after the first period, and as everyone’s nerves began to settle, the Predators began to claw their way back and completed the comeback midway through the third. With the Predators in control of momentum and heavily outshooting the Penguins, Jake Guentzel took matters into his own hands with a goal in the final four minutes to save the Penguins from defeat.

Guentzel was again the hero in game 2 when he scored two goals, including the game-winner in a 4-1 victory.

Guentzel’s hot streak continued into game 3 when he scored an early goal to break the ice; that goal was his 13th of the playoffs, which made him the leading playoff goal-scorer by three goals and brought him within one goal of the record by a rookie (14).

However, the Penguins’ early lead did not deter the Predators, as they scored five consecutive goals to win the game and stay in the series.

The Nashville atmosphere proved too much for the Penguins in game 3 and continued in game 4, where the Predators beat them 4-1, and taunts of “Murray” reigned down from the crowd.

Despite his poor performances on the road, Sullivan decided to keep Murray in net for game 5, and he shut the Predators out in a 6-0 victory. Right as the Predators tied the series and believed the momentum was in their favor, the Penguins turned it on their heads and put them on the brink of elimination.

With the home team winning every game in the series as of game 5, Predators fans' hopes were rampant while the Penguins entered game 6 hoping to play spoiler and capture their fifth Stanley Cup.

After a scoreless first period, the Predators appeared to break the ice with an early goal; however, the play was inadvertently blown dead by a referee before the puck crossed the line. Although the goal was completely legal, under NHL rules, when a referee blows the whistle, the play is over and not reviewable, even if it is simply a human error that resulted in it. The referee may have believed Murray possessed the puck, or he may have lost sight of the puck, but no matter the reason, the result was no goal.

The game remained scoreless through the second period and deep into the third, drawing towards overtime. With 1:35 to play in regulation, a wide shot from Justin Schultz ricocheted off the boards and over the back of the net, and former Predator Patric Hornqvist batted it out of the air and off of the back of Pekka Rinne into the net to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead; the Penguins' bench erupted in celebration.

Hornqvist’s last minute game-winner; Credit: Sports Illustrated

The Penguins held onto the lead by a thread in the final minute, and after the Predators pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker, Carl Hagelin sped past the defense for a loose puck and sealed the win with a goal with 14 seconds left. The goal finally silenced the Nashville crowd, and as the clock hit zero, the Penguins swarmed Matt Murray.

With the victory, the Penguins became the first back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. It was also the teams’ fifth title and third in the Crosby and Malkin era, further cementing their legacies.

Malkin led the team in playoff points (28), followed closely by Crosby (27), Kessel (23), and Guentzel (21). In their 2016 run, only one player finished above 20 points (Kessel). Ultimately, Crosby received the Conn Smythe trophy again, likely due to voters taking into account his role as captain and the fact that he constantly faced off against teams’ top defenders; this made him the third player ever to win back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies putting him in the ranks of Penguins’ legend Mario Lemieux who did it in 1991 and 1992.

Crosby celebrating his third Stanley Cup; Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Murray finished the playoffs with a 7-3 record, including shutouts in the final two games, an impressive 1.70 goals against average, and a .937 save percentage. Due to only playing a few regular-season games in 2016, the league still considered Murray a rookie, making him the first rookie goaltender to win two Stanley Cups.

With the NHL’s looming expansion draft to welcome in its 31st team, the Vegas Golden Knights, each team was allowed to protect a certain amount of players on their roster from being drafted, which included only one goalie. Therefore, all season long, the Penguins expected to lose Fleury because he was considered the best 2nd option in the league.

When Fleury received the cup during the team’s on-ice celebration, he passed it to Murray, a proverbial passing of the torch. Fleury played his last game as a Penguin in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

An estimated 650,000 fans attended the 2017 championship parade, significantly outdoing the previous year’s number.

The End of an Era - 2017-18 - 2022-23 NHL Seasons

Chants of “threepeat” echoed through Pittsburgh during the 2017 championship parade, and the Penguins began the 2017-18 season with their sights set on just that.

The team began the season as the favorites to win the Cup and did not entirely play up to it in the regular season, but still finished second in their division. Notable performances included Malkin, who led the team in goals (42) and points (98), Kessel, who set a career-high in points (92), and Crosby with another above point-per-game season (89). Murray suffered a steep drop-off statistically after battling several injuries and coping with his father's death.

The Penguins faced the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs. They defeated them in six games mainly due to high-powered offensive performances, primarily by Crosby and Guentzel. The duo each scored six goals and combined for 26 total points. The team had a +19 goals differential in their four wins, which included a come-from-behind 8-5 win in game 6 to cap off the series.

For the third year in a row, the Penguins faced the Capitals in the second round. The rivalry tended to be one-sided over the years, but the Capitals were determined to flip the switch. One thing that played into their favor was an injury to Evgeni Malkin.

Continued strong performances from Crosby and Guentzel lifted the Penguins to a game 1 victory, but the Penguins’ luck soon ran out, and they lost 4 of the following 5 games, including a 2-1 overtime loss in game 6 en route to elimination.

The series loss was the first for Mike Sullivan, who was previously 9-0.

The Capitals celebrating revenge on the Penguins; Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Capitals’ victory booked them a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the third time in franchise history and the first in the Ovechkin era; they defeated the Lightning and soon after won their first Stanley Cup.

The Penguins sought to bounce back in the 2018-19 season but had a lackluster regular season, falling in the standings but luckily still qualifying for the playoffs. However, their superstars shone as usual with a 100-point season from Crosby, a 40-goal affair from Guentzel, and point-per-game seasons from Malkin and Kessel again. Also, Murray showed improvement over last season but still faced injury troubles.

Ultimately, the Penguins’ star power was insufficient to overcome their regular season woes, and the New York Islanders swept them in the first round.

Soon after, the Penguins traded Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes to free salary cap space.

The 2019-20 began as all do but ended like none other. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHL abruptly canceled the last month of the regular season and postponed the playoffs until further notice.

The Penguins bounced back from the previous season up to that point and were in a prime position for the division title. Notably, Bryan Rust was having a breakout season, and backup goalie Tristan Jarry outperformed Murray in almost every stat category, earning starts in nearly half of the season.

The NHL decided to pick up play five months later in August with a unique approach. To avoid player infections, teams had to stay in one of two hub cities: Edmonton (Western Conference teams) or Toronto (Eastern Conference teams). The arenas and surrounding hotels became known as player bubbles, wherein the players must stay for the length of their teams’ playoff run; players stayed in hotels and participated in practice, team activities, and games within the bubble. The NBA chose a similar route with their bubble in Orlando.

A look inside one of the NHL bubbles; Credit: CBS Sports

The playoff format was also drastically affected; before the first round, the top four teams played in a round-robin to determine seeding, while the eight teams behind them in the standings played best-of-5 series in the qualifying round.

The Penguins finished the year fifth in the conference and had what initially seemed to be the leisure of facing the worst team in the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Penguins severely underestimated their opponents and briefly learned their lesson by being upset 3-1. The Penguins offense was nonexistent in the series, and Coach Sullivan’s decision to start Murray in net proved to be wrong.

The Penguins later traded Murray to the Ottawa Senators for a young prospect and a second-round draft pick.

Due to the Stanley Cup Final concluding in late September, the NHL decided to shorten the 2020-21 season and have it begin in January 2021. Also, to minimize Covid infection risks, they realigned divisions geographically (East, Central, North, West) and only allowed for inter-divisional play wherein each team played their divisional opponents at least eight times over 56 games. The league also based playoff seeding on division, with the top 4 teams in each qualifying for the playoffs.

The Penguins were in the East Division with all of the Metropolitan Division except for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes, who the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins replaced. The Penguins excelled, narrowly capturing the division title over the Capitals. Crosby and Guentzel had stellar seasons, while Malkin only played half due to injury.

The Penguins faced the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. The Penguins held a 2-1 lead in the series yet lost the last three games. Their playoff collapse came mainly at the hands of a historically awful series performance from Tristan Jarry. Based on an advanced metric used to measure goalie success, GSAx (goals saved above expected), his performance was the worst by a goalie in the playoffs since 2014; his GSAx was -7.92, meaning he allowed about eight more goals than he should have in the series.

Jarry struggling against the Islanders; Credit: Jeanine Leech/Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning went on to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, making them the first team to go back-to-back after the Penguins.

Entering the following season, Jarry was the most significant question mark on the Penguins’ roster; however, the team believed his playoff performance would improve with experience and decided to keep him.

With Covid dying down, things were back to normal for 2021-22. The Penguins had another good regular season, finishing third in the Metropolitan Division; the Rangers and Hurricanes dethroned the Penguins and Capitals from their usual spots atop the division. Crosby and Gunetzel continued to shine, but Malkin dealt with more injury trouble.

The Penguins faced the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The experience of the Penguins originally outshone the Ranger’s youth with them taking a 3-1 series lead by dominating on home ice. An injury to Crosby led to losses in games 5 and 6, and despite his return in game 7, the Rangers put the nail in the coffin, winning their third game in a row and eliminating the Penguins.

The story of the Penguins each season began to repeat itself, with regular-season triumphs ending in playoff collapse; the team had not won a series since the first round of the 2018 playoffs.

With Mike Sullivan on the hot seat entering the 2022-23 season, expectations remained high, and the goal became to overcome their first-round hump and be a championship team again.

The Penguins collapsed early this season; a lack of depth and speed ultimately led to them missing the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Many were to blame for the team’s lack of success, but no one greater than Ron Hextall, the Penguins’ general manager. Hextall played for the Flyers and several other teams in a 13-year playing career and worked in team management for 20 years in various capacities; the Penguins hired him after former general manager Jim Rutherford resigned due to personal issues.

Criticism of Hextall sparked from his mismanagement of the salary cap, poor contracts, and, greatest of all, his lack of aggressiveness in trading; he never sought to improve the team amidst struggles in the 2022-23 season.

Despite their poor team performance, Crosby, Malkin, and Guentzel still put together great individual performances; however, the rest of the team could not replicate that scoring level.

To make matters worse, the Penguins had a golden opportunity to make the playoffs by winning at least one of their final regular-season games, yet they failed to do so despite playing two of the bottom three teams in the league standings.

The Years to Come

The Penguins hope to bounce back in the years to come and have begun the process by hiring former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager, Kyle Dubas.

Dubas has already made a mark on the organization with an aggressive offseason that included many free-agent signings and the acquisition of Erik Karlsson, the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy which is awarded to the league’s top defenseman.

As the Penguins’ superstars’ careers dwindle, so too does the team’s championship window; now is the time for them to win, and the upcoming season will have a monumental impact on how they approach the near future and the future after Crosby and Malkin.

The 2023-24 NHL season begins October 10 with a triple-header that includes the Penguins’ home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.