1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins season

NHL team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1987–88 1987 Pittsburgh Penguins Wales 9th Patrick 6th 36–35–9 22–12–6 14–23–3 319 316 Eddie Johnston Pierre Creamer Dan Frawley (Oct-Dec) Mario Lemieux (Dec-Apr) Mario Lemieux (Oct-Dec) Dan Frawley (Dec-Apr) Dan Quinn Pittsburgh Civic Arena Mario Lemieux (70) Mario Lemieux (98) Mario Lemieux (168) Rod Buskas (206) Steve Guenette (12) Steve Guenette (3.35) The 1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 21st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Penguins improved on their previous season, and finished with a winning record for the first time since the 1978–79 season. Nevertheless, the Penguins again did not qualify for the playoffs for the sixth year in a row for the first time in franchise history, actually finishing last in a tightly contested Patrick Division despite earning only seven fewer points than the division champion New York Islanders. 2 Regular season The Penguins were involved in one of the closest playoff races in NHL history, as they competed down the stretch with the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division. Despite two hefty losses to New Jersey in the last two weeks of the season, the Penguins gave themselves hope with a 7–6 overtime win against the Washington Capitals in their penultimate game of the season. On the last day of the season, the Penguins defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–2 and moved ahead of New York and New Jersey. However, this position was temporary as the Rangers shut out Quebec, 3–0, eliminating the Penguins. The Devils had the last laugh as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 in overtime on a goal by John MacLean to claim the fourth and final Patrick Division playoff spot, ahead of both the Rangers and Penguins.Masi Vince 2011-04-09 Drama in New York NHL season finales http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/18031/drama-in-new-york-nhl-season-finales 2017-05-23 ESPNHafner Dan NHL Roundup: Devils Need Overtime to Make the Playoffs Los Angeles Times 1988-04-04 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-04-sp-287-story.html 2017-05-23 The Penguins finished the regular season 1st in power-play opportunities (500), power-play opportunities against (507), power-play goals against (120) and short-handed goals allowed (19).https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1988.html 1987-88 NHL Summary Final standings PIT Record vs. opponents PIT Schedule and results background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 5px solid; 1987–88 regular season1987-88 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PIT/1988_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 27, 2025 y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; October # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 1 || Oct 8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–4 OT || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 0–0–1 || 1 |- | 2 || Oct 9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center || 0–1–1 || 1 |- | 3 || Oct 13 || Buffalo Sabres || 3–8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 1–1–1 || 3 |- | 4 || Oct 15 || New York Rangers || 6–6 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 1–1–2 || 4 |- | 5 || Oct 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || Montreal Canadiens || Montreal Forum || 1–2–2 || 4 |- | 6 || Oct 18 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 1–3–2 || 4 |- | 7 || Oct 21 || New Jersey Devils || 5–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 1–4–2 || 4 |- | 8 || Oct 23 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || Detroit Red Wings || Joe Louis Arena || 1–5–2 || 4 |- | 9 || Oct 24 || Buffalo Sabres || 3–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 2–5–2 || 6 |- | 10 || Oct 27 || Los Angeles Kings || 4–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 2–5–3 || 7 |- | 11 || Oct 29 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 4–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 2–6–3 || 7 |- | 12 || Oct 31 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 OT || Quebec Nordiques || Quebec Coliseum || 3–6–3 || 9 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; November # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 13 || Nov 3 || Philadelphia Flyers || 1–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 4–6–3 || 11 |- | 14 || Nov 5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–2 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 5–6–3 || 13 |- | 15 || Nov 7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Boston Bruins || Boston Garden || 5–7–3 || 13 |- | 16 || Nov 11 || Washington Capitals || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 6–7–3 || 15 |- | 17 || Nov 12 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 6–8–3 || 15 |- | 18 || Nov 14 || New York Rangers || 2–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 7–8–3 || 17 |- | 19 || Nov 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–6 || Vancouver Canucks || Pacific Coliseum || 7–9–3 || 17 |- | 20 || Nov 20 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Edmonton Oilers || Northlands Coliseum || 7–10–3 || 17 |- | 21 || Nov 21 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–4 OT || Calgary Flames || Scotiabank Saddledome || 7–10–4 || 18 |- | 22 || Nov 25 || Quebec Nordiques || 4–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 8–10–4 || 20 |- | 23 || Nov 27 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–2 || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 9–10–4 || 22 |- | 24 || Nov 28 || Washington Capitals || 5–5 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 9–10–5 || 23 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; December # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 25 || Dec 2 || New York Islanders || 7–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 9–11–5 || 23 |- | 26 || Dec 5 || Vancouver Canucks || 3–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 10–11–5 || 25 |- | 27 || Dec 9 || Calgary Flames || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 11–11–5 || 27 |- | 28 || Dec 11 || New York Islanders || 4–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 12–11–5 || 29 |- | 29 || Dec 12 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || St. Louis Blues || The Checkerdome || 12–12–5 || 29 |- | 30 || Dec 15 || Philadelphia Flyers || 5–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 12–13–5 || 29 |- | 31 || Dec 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–4 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center || 13–13–5 || 31 |- | 32 || Dec 19 || New York Rangers || 3–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 14–13–5 || 33 |- | 33 || Dec 20 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 8–4 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 15–13–5 || 35 |- | 34 || Dec 23 || New Jersey Devils || 6–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 15–14–5 || 35 |- | 35 || Dec 26 || Detroit Red Wings || 3–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–14–5 || 37 |- | 36 || Dec 27 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–3 OT || Buffalo Sabres || Buffalo Memorial Auditorium || 16–14–6 || 38 |- | 37 || Dec 29 || Boston Bruins || 4–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–14–7 || 39 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; January # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 38 || Jan 1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–5 || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 16–15–7 || 39 |- | 39 || Jan 2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 16–16–7 || 39 |- | 40 || Jan 5 || Los Angeles Kings || 4–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–16–8 || 40 |- | 41 || Jan 7 || Boston Bruins || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–17–8 || 40 |- | 42 || Jan 9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–5 OT || Hartford Whalers || XL Center || 16–18–8 || 40 |- | 43 || Jan 10 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–7 || Detroit Red Wings || Joe Louis Arena || 16–19–8 || 40 |- | 44 || Jan 12 || New York Islanders || 5–5 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–19–9 || 41 |- | 45 || Jan 15 || Philadelphia Flyers || 5–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–20–9 || 41 |- | 46 || Jan 16 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Maple Leaf Gardens || 17–20–9 || 43 |- | 47 || Jan 19 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–4 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 18–20–9 || 45 |- | 48 || Jan 20 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 8–3 || Chicago Blackhawks || Chicago Stadium || 19–20–9 || 47 |- | 49 || Jan 23 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 OT || Montreal Canadiens || Montreal Forum || 20–20–9 || 49 |- | 50 || Jan 25 || Edmonton Oilers || 6–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 20–21–9 || 49 |- | 51 || Jan 27 || Winnipeg Jets || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 20–22–9 || 49 |- | 52 || Jan 28 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center || 20–23–9 || 49 |- | 53 || Jan 30 || Chicago Blackhawks || 2–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 21–23–9 || 51 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; February # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 54 || Feb 2 || Washington Capitals || 2–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 22–23–9 || 53 |- | 55 || Feb 4 || Minnesota North Stars || 0–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 23–23–9 || 55 |- | 56 || Feb 6 || Hartford Whalers || 4–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 24–23–9 || 57 |- | 57 || Feb 7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 24–24–9 || 57 |- | 58 || Feb 13 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–5 || Los Angeles Kings || The Forum || 25–24–9 || 59 |- | 59 || Feb 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–5 || Vancouver Canucks || Pacific Coliseum || 25–25–9 || 59 |- | 60 || Feb 19 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–7 || Edmonton Oilers || Northlands Coliseum || 25–26–9 || 59 |- | 61 || Feb 21 || St. Louis Blues || 5–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 25–27–9 || 59 |- | 62 || Feb 23 || Winnipeg Jets || 4–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 25–28–9 || 59 |- | 63 || Feb 25 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–2 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 25–29–9 || 59 |- | 64 || Feb 28 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–7 || Chicago Blackhawks || Chicago Stadium || 25–30–9 || 59 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; March # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 65 || Mar 1 || Minnesota North Stars || 3–8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 26–30–9 || 61 |- | 66 || Mar 5 || New York Islanders || 3–8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 27–30–9 || 63 |- | 67 || Mar 7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 || Calgary Flames || Scotiabank Saddledome || 28–30–9 || 65 |- | 68 || Mar 10 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–6 || St. Louis Blues || The Checkerdome || 28–31–9 || 65 |- | 69 || Mar 12 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Minnesota North Stars || Met Center || 28–32–9 || 65 |- | 70 || Mar 13 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 || Winnipeg Jets || Winnipeg Arena || 29–32–9 || 67 |- | 71 || Mar 16 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 30–32–9 || 69 |- | 72 || Mar 19 || Philadelphia Flyers || 0–7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 31–32–9 || 71 |- | 73 || Mar 20 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 31–33–9 || 71 |- | 74 || Mar 23 || Washington Capitals || 1–7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 32–33–9 || 73 |- | 75 || Mar 25 || Montreal Canadiens || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 33–33–9 || 75 |- | 76 || Mar 27 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–3 || Quebec Nordiques || Quebec Coliseum || 34–33–9 || 77 |- | 77 || Mar 29 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–4 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center || 34–34–9 || 77 |- | 78 || Mar 31 || New Jersey Devils || 7–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 34–35–9 || 77 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; April # Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points |- | 79 || Apr 2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–6 OT || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 35–35–9 || 79 |- | 80 || Apr 3 || Hartford Whalers || 2–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 36–35–9 || 81 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Player statistics = Indicates team leader = Indicates league leader Skaters + Regular season1987–1988 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19871988&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S https://web.archive.org/web/20161002015925/http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19871988&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S dead October 2, 2016 NHL Player GP Games played G Goals A Assists Pts Points +/− Plus/minus PIM Penalty minutes Mario Lemieux 77 70 98 168 23 92 Dan Quinn Dan Quinn (ice hockey) 70 40 39 79 -8 –8 50 Randy Cunneyworth 71 35 39 74 13 141 Paul Coffey 46 15 52 67 -1 –1 93 Doug Bodger 69 14 31 45 -4 –4 103 Rob Brown Rob Brown (ice hockey) 51 24 20 44 8 56 Dave Hunter† 59 11 18 29 8 77 Charlie Simmer 50 11 17 28 6 24 Jock Callander 41 11 16 27 -13 –13 45 Craig Simpson‡ 21 13 13 26 5 34 Ville Sirén 58 1 20 21 14 62 Dave McLlwain 66 11 8 19 -1 –1 40 Troy Loney 65 5 13 18 -3 –3 151 Phil Bourque 21 4 12 16 3 20 Dan Frawley Dan Frawley (ice hockey) 47 6 8 14 0 152 Jim Johnson Jim Johnson (ice hockey, born 1962) 55 1 12 13 -4 –4 87 Randy Hillier ice hockey 55 1 12 13 -6 –6 144 Rod Buskas 76 4 8 12 6 206 Zarley Zalapski 15 3 8 11 10 7 Steve Gotaas 36 5 6 11 -11 –11 45 Moe Mantha Jr.‡ 21 2 8 10 6 23 Chris Dahlquist 44 3 6 9 3 69 Bob Errey 17 3 6 9 6 18 Mark Kachowski 38 5 3 8 1 126 Wilf Paiement 23 2 6 8 -4 –4 39 Chris Kontos‡ 36 1 7 8 -3 –3 12 Dave Hannan‡ 21 4 3 7 -2 –2 23 Kevin Stevens 16 5 2 7 -6 –6 8 Perry Ganchar† 30 2 5 7 0 36 Dwight Mathiasen 23 0 6 6 -7 –7 14 Bryan Erickson Bryan Erickson (ice hockey)† 11 1 4 5 2 0 Wayne Van Dorp 25 1 3 4 2 75 Chris Joseph Chris Joseph (ice hockey)‡ 17 0 4 4 2 12 Norm Schmidt 5 1 2 3 1 0 Brad Aitken 5 1 1 2 1 0 Lee Giffin 19 0 2 2 -2 –2 9 Todd Charlesworth 6 2 0 2 0 2 Scott Gruhl 6 1 0 1 0 0 Warren Young 7 0 0 0 -4 –4 15 Dave Goertz 2 0 0 0 -1 –1 2 Pat Mayer 1 0 0 0 0 4 Jimmy Mann Jimmy Mann (ice hockey) 9 0 0 0 0 53 Total 319 518 837 — 2,169 Goaltenders + Regular Season1987–1988 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats https://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=goaliesummary&season=19871988&gameType=2&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=G NHL Player GP Games played TOI Time on ice W Win L Loss T Tie GA Goals against GAA Goals against average SA Shots against SV% Save percentage SO Shutouts G Goals A Assists PIM Penalty minutes Steve Guenette 19 1091:05 12 7 0 61 3.35 582 0.895 1 0 0 2 Frank Pietrangelo 21 1202:47 9 11 0 80 3.99 599 0.866 1 0 2 2 Gilles Meloche 27 1390:26 8 9 5 95 4.10 720 0.868 0 0 0 0 Patrick Riggin Pat Riggin 22 1168:55 7 8 4 76 3.90 579 0.869 0 0 0 12 Total 4853:13 36 35 9 312 3.86 2480 0.874 2 0 2 16 †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 Mario Lemieux became the first player to score 60 goals in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 2–4 loss to Philadelphia on March 20. Lemieux became the first player to score 150 points in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 7–1 win over Washington on March 23. Lemieux became the first player to score 160 points in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–3 win over Quebec on March 27. Lemieux became the first player to score 70 goals in a season for the Penguins. He did so in a 4–2 win over Hartford on April 3. Lemieux established a new franchise record for goals (70), assists (98) and points (168) in a season. He held the previous high in all three categories. Lemieux won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1987-88 NHL Awards Voting, breaking an eight-year consecutive winning streak of Wayne Gretzky. Lemieux finished first with 54 1st place votes, 7 2nd place votes, 1 3rd place vote for 292 votes, besting Grant Fuhr (4 1st place votes, 25 2nd place votes, 11 3rd place votes for 106 votes) and Wayne Gretzky (2 1st place votes, 15 2nd place votes, 18 3rd place votes, for 73 votes). Transactions The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1987–88 season: Trades November 24, 1987 To Edmonton Oilers Dave HannanChris JosephMoe ManthaCraig Simpson To Pittsburgh Penguins Paul CoffeyDave HunterWayne Van Dorp December 17, 1987 To Montreal Canadiens future considerations (1988 3rd round pick) To Pittsburgh Penguins Perry Gancharfuture considerations (1988 3rd round pick) February 4, 1988 To Los Angeles Kings Chris Kontosfuture considerations (1988 6th round pick) To Pittsburgh Penguins Bryan Erickson Additions and subtractions Additions Player Former team Via Jimmy Mann Quebec Nordiques free agency (1987-06-16) Pat Mayer Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL) free agency (1987-07-10) Jock Callander St. Louis Blues free agency (1987-07-31) Mark Kachowski Flint Spirits (IHL) free agency (1987-08-31) Wilf Paiement Buffalo Sabres free agency (1987-09-10) Charlie Simmer Boston Bruins Waiver Draft (1987-10-05) Scott Gruhl Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL) free agency (1987-12-14) Subtractions Player New team Via John Chabot Detroit Red Wings free agency (1987-06-25) Neil Belland Lukko (SM-liiga) free agency Kevin LaVallee Innsbrucker EV (Austria) free agency Terry Ruskowski Minnesota North Stars free agency (1987-07) Dwight Schofield Winnipeg Jets free agency (1987-07) Mike Blaisdell Toronto Maple Leafs free agency (1987-07-10) May 2009 Draft picks Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League) 1 5 Chris Joseph Defense Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 2 26 Richard Tabaracci Goaltender Canada Cornwall Royals (OHL) 3 47 Jamie Leach Right wing United States Hamilton Steelhawks (OHL) 4 68 Risto Kurkinen Left wing Finland JyP HT Jyvaskyla (FNL) 5 89 Jeff Waver Defense Canada Hamilton Steelhawks (OHL) 6 110 Shawn McEachern Left wing United States Matignon H.S. (Massachusetts) 7 131 James Bodden Center Canada Chatham (SOJHL) 8 152 Jiri Kucera Right wing Dukla Jihlava (Czech) 9 173 Jack MacDougall Right wing United States New Prep School (Massachusetts) 10 194 Daryn McBride Center Canada U. of Denver (NCAA) 11 215 Mark Carlson Left wing United States (Philadelphia Jrs.) 12 236 Ake Lilljebjorn Goaltender Sweden Brynäs IF Gävle (SEL)S15Dan SheaLeft wingUnited StatesBoston College (Hockey East)S29John LeonardDefenseUnited StatesBowdoin College (NESCAC) See also 1987–88 NHL season References Pitts Category:Pittsburgh Penguins seasons Pitts Pitts