A Glimpse at Penguins History in Deciding Games

Hello all. It’s hockey nerd time again. With our Penguins facing a winner-take-all Game 7 tonight at Madison Square Garden, I thought it would be an appropriate time to take a gander at our record in deciding games.

The Pens’ Game 7 record? A decent 10-7, including a rather remarkable 6-0 on the road. We’re 3-0 in Game 7’s under Mike Sullivan, including a road triumph over Washington during the 2017 Second Round.

To digress, Game 7’s have provided some of the most memorable moments and impassioned performances in franchise history. Who can forget Jaromir Jagr’s courageous two-assist effort against New Jersey during the ‘99 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals when he could barely skate due to a chronically sore groin? Or Darius Kasparaitis’ overtime winner and joyous belly-flop while his teammates piled on against Buffalo two seasons later?

Sid’s two-goal, three-point outburst to vanquish Washington in the 2009 Semi’s. Chris Kunitz’ double-OT winner against Ottawa in the ‘17 Conference Finals. And the piece de resistance…”Mad” Max Talbot’s epically clutch and equally unforgettable two-goal effort to capture the ’09 Cup.

On the flip side, those soul-crushing (and franchise-altering) defeats at the hands of the Islanders in ’75 and ’93. Eddie Westfall. Chico Resch. [Bleeping] David Volek.

Switching gears, many younger fans may be surprised to learn that our history includes several series-deciding affairs that were not Game 7’s.

Due in part to rapid expansion in the early 1970s and the NHL’s desire to build fan support for the fledgling teams, the Stanley Cup playoffs featured a best-of-three Preliminary Round beginning in 1974-75 and running through the 1978-79 season. Similar in concept to the Qualifying Round instituted during the 2019-20, Covid-shortened season.

Under the new format, 12 of the 18 clubs then in the league qualified for the postseason.

With the addition of four WHA teams, starting in 1979-80, the Preliminary Round was expanded to a best-of-five format. Due to a league realignment that emphasized division rivalries, the series was renamed the divisional Semi-Finals in 1981-82. The best-of-five format remained in effect until 1986-87, when it expanded to a best-of-seven.

The Pens played in six deciding games during that era, three of the best-of-three variety and three best-of-fives.

Our record? A rather uninspired 1-5. Which brings our overall record in deciding games to a pedestrian 11-12.

For a complete list of deciding-game results, see the table at the end of the article.

All Hands on Deck?

Not to be Captain Obvious. But heading into our clash with the Rangers, it would be huge to get as many of our wounded back into the lineup as possible.

Pensburgh published an article citing a couple of different sources who reported that, barring any unforeseen setbacks, Sidney Crosby and Tristan Jarry will likely suit up for the black and gold tonight.

GREAT news.

As of this post, no official word on the status of forward Rickard Rakell, who’s been skating with the team since suffering a suspected concussion in Game 1. Brian Boyle, who hobbled off during the early stages of Game 6 with what appeared to be an ankle/knee injury, is likely out for tonight’s game. Stalwart defender Brian Dumoulin, who hasn’t been skating, is definitely out.

Depending on who rejoins the lineup and how things shake out, comparative youngsters Drew O’Connor and/or Radim Zohorna could see action.

End of an Era?

While I choose to remain positive about our chances tonight (I won’t predict a victory because of the dreaded PenguinPoop curse), I’d been remiss if I didn’t mention that a loss could signal the end of perhaps the most significant and successful era in Pens history.

Indeed, a defeat would most likely bring the final curtain down on our Big Three core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Hopefully that looming possibility will provide our guys with an additional jolt of adrenalin and inspiration. One that’ll put us over the top.

Here’s that table I spoke of. Italics denotes a Stanley Cup winning season.

LET’S GO PENS!

Season	Playoff Round	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
Game Three (1-2)
1975-76	Preliminary Round	Toronto	Away	4-0 Loss
1976-77	Preliminary Round	Toronto	Home	5-2 Loss
1978-79	Preliminary Round	Buffalo	Away	4-3 (OT) Win
Game Five (0-3)
1979-80	Preliminary Round	Boston	Away	6-2 Loss
1980-81	Preliminary Round	St. Louis	Away	4-3 (2 OT) Loss
1981-82	Patrick Div. Semi-Finals	NY Islanders	Away	4-3 (OT) Loss
Game Seven (10-7)
1974-75	Quarter-Final Round	NY Islanders	Home	1-0 Loss
1988-89	Patrick Div. Final	Philadelphia	Home	4-1 Loss
1990-91	Patrick Div. Semi-Finals	New Jersey	Home	4-0 Win
1991-92	Patrick Div. Semi-Finals	Washington	Away	3-1 Win
1992-93	Patrick Div. Final	NY Islanders	Home	4-3 (OT) Loss
1994-95	Eastern Conf. Quarter-Finals	Washington	Home	3-0 Win
1995-96	Eastern Conf. Final	Florida	Home	3-1 Loss
1998-99	Eastern Conf. Quarter-Finals	New Jersey	Away	4-2 Win
2000-01	Eastern Conf. Semi-Finals	Buffalo	Away	3-2 (OT) Win
2008-09	Eastern Conf. Semi-Finals	Washington	Away	6-2 Win
	Stanley Cup Final	Detroit	Away	2-1 Win
2009-10	Eastern Conf. Semi-Finals	Montreal	Home	5-2 Loss
2010-11	Eastern Conf. Quarter-Finals	Tampa Bay	Home	1-0 Loss
2013-14	Second Round	NY Rangers	Home	2-1 Loss
2015-16	Eastern Conf. Final	Tampa Bay	Home	2-1 Win
2017-18	Second Round	Washington	Away	2-0 Win
	Eastern Conf. Final	Ottawa	Home	3-2 (2 OT) Win