Division 6th Patrick 1987–88 record 36–35–9 Goals against 316 | Conference 9th Wales Goals for 319 General Manager Eddie Johnston | |
The 1987–88 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 21st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.
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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 second to last 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, to move back ahead of 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 the Rangers and Penguins.
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).
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Playoffs
The Penguins missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
Player statistics
†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.
Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1987–88 season: