Twenty Years Later - Penguins 6, Islanders 3 - 12-23-11
"Twenty Years Later" is a segment with a highly unimaginative name which will appear on Empty Netters throughout the 2011-12 season. We will examine the Penguins' 1991-92 season which led to the second Stanley Cup title in franchise history. We will look back on games on a particular date and catch up with former players, coaches, executives and media members who were a part or around that team.
Today, we look at the Penguins' 6-3 win again the Rangers, Dec. 23, 1991.
The Penguins extended a road winning streak to three games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Right winger Joe Mullen gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead 8:28 into the game with a power-play goal against goaltender Glenn Healy. Defenseman Larry Murphy and center Mario Lemieux had assists.
Mullen scored another power-play goal less than a minute later at 9:03. Once again, Murphy and Lemieux had assists.
At 3:50 of the second period, center Pierre Turgeon scored the Islanders' first goal against goaltender Wendell Young. The goal was unassisted.
Mullen completed his hat trick at 11:16 and gave the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Assists went to Lemieux and left winger Kevin Stevens.
A power-play goal off a rebound by left winger Benoit Hogue at 16:56 made it a 3-2 game. Right winger Steve Thomas and defenseman Jeff Norton were credited with assists.
Thomas tied the game, 3-3, 2:12 into the third period off assists from Hogue and center Adam Creighton.
Defenseman Ulf Samuelsson scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 11:19 mark with a slap shot from the top of the left circle. Right winger Mark Recchi had the only assist.
At 13:46, Lemieux scored to give the Penguins a 5-3 lead off assists from Murphy and Samuelsson.
Mullen scored his fourth goal of the game at 18:05 on another power play. Stevens had the only assist.
Notes:
-Young made 23 saves in the win.
-The three stars were 1.) Mullen 2.) Lemieux 3.) Hogue.
-Mullen had his third career four-goal game.
-The Penguins' power play went 5 for 9.
Statistics:
| Player Position |
Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
| Kevin Stevens, LW | 35 | 27 | 31 | 58 |
| Mario Lemieux, C | 32 | 24 | 36 | 60 |
| Paul Coffey, D | 35 | 7 | 35 | 42 |
| Joe Mullen, RW | 35 | 21 | 23 | 43 |
| Mark Recchi, RW | 35 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| Jaromir Jagr, RW | 35 | 12 | 23 | 36 |
| Larry Murphy, D | 34 | 5 | 22 | 27 |
| Bob Errey, LW | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| Ron Francis, C | 25 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Phil Bourque, LW | 28 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| Gordie Roberts, D | 32 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Troy Loney, LW | 32 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Bryan Trottier, C | 25 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Jiri Hrdina, C | 20 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Jamie Leach, RW | 23 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Ulf Samuelsson, D | 21 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Ken Priestlay, C | 30 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Jim Paek, D | 31 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Grant Jennings, D | 27 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Paul Stanton, D | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Peter Taglianetti, D | 26 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Glenn Mulvenna, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Todd Nelson, D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Daniels, LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Caufield, RW | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Capitals | 24-11-1 | 49 |
| Rangers | 23-12-1 | 47 |
| Penguins | 19-12-4 | 42 |
| Devils | 16-13-5 | 37 |
| Flyers | 12-16-6 | 30 |
| Islanders | 11-17-5 | 27 |
Also in the news that day:
-Guard Sean Miller scored 11 points for Pitt in a 86-47 rout of Cornell at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse.