The Pittsburgh Penguins have advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs 37 times in 57 seasons and have played in Game 7 on 18 occasions. As of 2025, the franchise is 10-8 in the winner-take-all contest, with their most recent playoff game (May 15, 2022) being a Game 7 overtime loss to the New York Rangers.
Today, we will examine the Penguins’ performance in Game 7s, including their third Stanley Cup victory on June 12, 2009, against the Detroit Red Wings.
Pittsburgh’s Overall Record in Game 7
As mentioned, the Penguins are 10-8 in Game 7, with a 4-7 record on home ice and a 6-1 record as visitors. Whether it was the Civic Arena or PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins were outscored as the home team 20-23 in Game 7 while doubling up opponents at their building 23-12.
Here’s a look at Pittsburgh’s all-time Game 7 record:
- 1975 – Loss vs. New York Islanders (1-0)
- 1989 – Loss vs. Philadelphia Flyers (4-1)
- 1991 – Win vs. New Jersey Devils (4-0)
- 1992 – Win @ Washington Capitals (3-1)
- 1993 – Loss vs. New York Islanders (4-3 OT)
- 1995 – Win vs. New Jersey Devils (3-0)
- 1996 – Loss vs. Florida Panthers (3-1)
- 1999 – Win @ New Jersey Devils (4-2)
- 2001 – Win @ Buffalo Sabres (3-2 OT)
- 2009 – Win @ Washington Capitals (6-2)
- 2009 – Win @ Detroit Red Wings (2-1)
- 2010 – Loss vs. Montreal Canadiens (5-2)
- 2011 – Loss vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-0)
- 2014 – Loss vs. New York Rangers (2-1)
- 2016 – Win vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1)
- 2017 – Win @ Washington Capitals (2-0)
- 2017 – Win vs. Ottawa Senators (3-2 OT2)
- 2022 – Loss @ New York Rangers (4-3 OT)
When Pittsburgh heads into Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs, it is 2-1 at home, outscoring opponents 7-1, and has an identical 2-1 record as visitors, outscoring opponents 10-7. However, in the second round, the Penguins have never won a Game 7 at home, going 0-5, beaten 16-7 in those games. But, as visitors, it is a perfect 3-0 with a goal differential of plus-7, 11-4.
Penguins Forward Prospect Named SHL Rookie Of The YearFor the second time this week, a Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect has earned top Swedish Hockey League (SHL) honors.
In the Conference Final, Pittsburgh has hosted all three Game 7s it has participated in, going 2-1 with an even six goals for and six against. Finally, in one of the few Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Final, the organization is 1-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings in 2009.
Wrong Side of NHL History
In 1942, the Red Wings were up 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Surprisingly, the Maple Leafs stormed back and won the series and the championship by winning Game 7 by a 3-1 score. No other team had ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit in professional sports until 1975, when the Islanders achieved the feat against the Penguins.
Pittsburgh opened the series with a 5-4 win, followed by a 3-1 victory and a 3-0 series lead after a 6-4 triumph. The Islanders began their comeback in Game 4 (3-1), followed by wins in Pittsburgh (4-2) and Long Island (4-1), setting up a critical Game 7 back at the Civic Arena on Apr. 26, 1975.
Veteran Ed Westfall tallied the game’s only goal at 14:42 of the third period as Glenn Resch made 30 saves to eliminate the Penguins and secure, at the time, the second-ever 3-0 series comeback.
Inside the Numbers: Penguins Players
As of 2025, 181 players have worn a Penguins sweater in a Game 7. Despite the talent in the lineups, only 85 skaters have registered a point, with one goalie (Frank Pietrangelo) adding an assist.
Without going deep into the statistics, here’s a breakdown of Pittsburgh’s top performers in a Game 7:
Games Played
- Sidney Crosby (8)
- Evgeni Malkin (8)
- Chris Kunitz (8)
- Jaromir Jagr (7)
- Kris Letang (7)
- Mario Lemieux (6)
- Kevin Stevens (6)
- Marc-Andre Fleury (6)
Goals
- Mario Lemieux (3)
- Chris Kunitz (3)
- Bryan Rust (3)
- Sidney Crosby (2)
- Ron Francis (2)
- Jordan Staal (2)
- Maxime Talbot (2)
- Jiri Hrdina (2)
Assists
- Jaromir Jagr (9)
- Evgeni Malkin (6)
- Ron Francis (5)
- Sidney Crosby (4)
- Martin Straka (4)
- Larry Murphy (4)
Points
- Jaromir Jagr (10)
- Ron Francis (7)
- Evgeni Malkin (6)
- Sidney Crosby (6)
- Chris Kunitz (6)
- Mario Lemieux (6)
Plus/Minus (Best/Worst)
- Jaromir Jagr (plus-5)
- Ron Francis (plus-5)
- Evgeni Malkin (plus-4)
- Chris Kunitz (plus-4)
- Mario Lemieux (minus-4)
- Danton Heinen (minus-2)
- Ulf Samuelsson (minus-2)
- Paul Coffey (minus-2)
Penalty Minutes
- Mario Lemieux (6)
- Paul Coffey (6)
- Jaromir Jagr (4)
- Evgeni Malkin (4)
- Petr Nedved (4)
- Rick Tocchet (4)
- Phil Bourque (4)
- Bryan Rust (4)
Game Winners
- Bryan Rust (2)
- Jaromir Jagr (1)
- Jiri Hrdina (1)
- Chris Kunitz (1)
- Max Talbot (1)
- Norm Maciver (1)
- Bill Guerin (1)
- Darius Kasparaitis (1)
- Jan Hrdina (1)
Overtime Heros
- Darius Kasparaitis (2001)
- Chris Kunitz (2017)
Best Game Performances
- Sidney Crosby (3 – goal, two assists)
- Ron Francis (3 – three assists)
- Martin Straka (3 – goal, two assists)
- Jaromir Jagr (3 – three assists)
- Chris Kunitz (3 – two goals, assist)
Inside the Numbers: Opponents
As of 2025, 295 players have skated against the Penguins in Game 7. However, only one player in NHL history has managed to get into the opposing lineup on three occasions: Dominic Moore. Even though he skated 59 regular-season games with Pittsburgh in 2006-07, he did not advance to the playoffs with the club. But, as a member of the Montreal Canadiens (2010), Tampa Bay Lightning (2011), and Rangers (2014), Moore went a perfect 3-0 against the Penguins in Game 7.
Overall, 33 players have skated against Pittsburgh in Game 7 twice. Interestingly, 13 players played on both sides, skating at least one game with the Penguins and an opponent. The list of these players includes:
- Brooks Orpik – 5 (Pittsburgh: 2009, 2009, 2010, 2011 – Washington: 2017)
- Sergei Gonchar – 4 (Pittsburgh: 2009, 2009, 2010 – Washington: 1995)
- Martin Straka – 4 (Pittsburgh: 1993, 1999, 2001 – Florida: 1996)
- Miroslav Satan – 3 (Pittsburgh: 2009, 2009 – Buffalo: 2001)
- Kjell Samuelsson – 3 (Pittsburgh: 1993, 1995 – Philadelphia: 1989)
- Hal Gill – 3 (Pittsburgh: 2009, 2009 – Montreal: 2010)
- Carl Hagelin – 3 (Pittsburgh: 2016, 2017 – New York Rangers: 2014)
- Rick Tocchet – 2 (Pittsburgh: 1993 – Philadelphia: 1989)
- Kevin Hatcher – 2 (Pittsburgh: 1999 – Washington: 1992)
- Ken Wregget – 2 (Pittsburgh: 1995 – Philadelphia: 1989)
- Jim Johnson – 2 (Pittsburgh: 1989 – Washington: 1995)
- Dave Tippett – 2 (Pittsburgh: 1993 – Washington: 1992)
- Darius Kasparaitis – 2 (Pittsburgh: 2001 – New York Islanders: 1993)
Historically, Ken Wregget is the only goalie to win a Game 7 for the Penguins (1995) and defeat the franchise as an opponent (1989). As of 2025, he remains one of three netminders to pitch a shutout in Game 7 for Pittsburgh, along with Pietrangelo (1991) and Marc-Andre Fleury (2017).
Inside the Numbers: Penguins Goalies
Nine goalies have backstopped the Penguins in Game 7, with Fleury skating in six contests, breaking the record formerly held by Tom Barrasso (five). Only Matt Murray appeared in more than one Game 7, making two appearances in 2016 and 2017.
Here’s an extended look into the numbers of Penguins netminders in Game 7:
Wins
- Marc-Andre Fleury (3)
- Tom Barrasso (2)
- Matt Murray (2)
- Ken Wregget (1)
- Johan Hedberg (1)
- Frank Pietrangelo (1)
Losses
- Marc-Andre Fleury (3)
- Tom Barrasso (3)
- Tristan Jarry (1)
- Gary Inness (1)
Goals Against
- Tom Barrasso (13)
- Marc-Andre Fleury (10)
- Tristan Jarry (4)
- Matt Murray (3)
- Johan Hedberg (2)
- Brent Johnson (1)
- Gary Inness (1)
- Johan Hedberg (1)
Save Percentage
- Frank Pietrangelo (1.000)
- Ken Wregget (1.000)
- Gary Inness (.941)
- Matt Murray (.934)
- Johan Hedberg (.933)
- Marc-Andre Fleury (.923)
- Tom Barrasso (.891)
- Tristan Jarry (.867)
- Brent Johnson (.857)
Throughout their 18 appearances in Game 7, the Penguins have surrendered just one empty-net goal. Fleury remains the only goalie to start a game and get pulled, skating only 25:14 in 2010 against the Canadiens and getting relieved by Johnson.
Meanwhile, 18 goalies have played against Pittsburgh in Game 7, with no one playing more than once. This list includes several Hall of Famers: Martin Brodeur (W – 1995), Dominik Hasek (L – 2001), and Henrik Lundqvist (W – 2014)
Final Numbers
The Penguins are 10-8 in 18 Game 7 appearances and have struggled against the New York teams (0-4), but enjoy playing the team on the other side of the Hudson River, the Devils (3-0). Here’s a look at their totals against other teams:
- New Jersey Devils (3-0)
- Washington Capitals (3-0)
- Buffalo Sabres (1-0)
- Ottawa Senators (1-0)
- Detroit Red Wings (1-0)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1)
- Philadelphia Flyers (0-1)
- Florida Panthers (0-1)
- Montreal Canadiens (0-1)
- New York Rangers (0-2)
- New York Islanders (0-2)
Overall, the Penguins have been shut out twice (1-0) in Game 7, once in 1975 (Islanders) and again in 2011 (Lightning). On the flip side, they shut out the Capitals twice, first in 1995 (3-0) and again in 2017 (2-0). The franchise’s first Game 7 win came via the shutout, against the Devils in 1991.
The team’s best Game 7 performance came in 2009 against the Capitals (6-2), with their worst coming in 2010 against the Canadiens (5-2). Regarding one-goal games, the Penguins are 4-5 in those contests, losing twice by shutout. Here’s a look at their record in these games:
- 4-3 (0-2)
- 3-2 (2-0)
- 2-1 (2-1)
- 1-0 (0-2)
In 2009, the Penguins became the 15th team to win the Stanley Cup in Game 7, joining a list of 18 teams, including the Maple Leafs (1942, 1945, 1964), Red Wings (1950, 1954, 1955), Canadiens (1965, 1971), Edmonton Oilers (1987), Rangers (1994), Colorado Avalanche (2001), Devils (2003), Lightning (2004), Carolina Hurricanes (2006), Boston Bruins (2011), St. Louis Blues (2019), and Panthers (2024).
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