Twenty Years Later - Penguins 6, Capitals 2 - 12-28-11
"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' 6-2 win again the Capitals, Dec. 28, 1991.
The Penguins won their third consecutive game at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. Penguins right winger Mark Recchi opened the scoring at 8:57 of the first period with a power-play goal against goaltender Don Beaupre. Assists went to left winger Kevin Stevens and former Capitals defenseman Larry Murphy.
Left winger Phil Bourque gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead with a goal at the 9:31 mark. Center Jiri Hrdina and right winger Jaromir Jagr had assists.
Right winger Dino Ciccarelli scored Washington's first goal against goaltender Wendell Young at 11:59. Defenseman Al Iafrate recorded the lone assist.
Bourque scored his second goal of the game while killing a penalty at 10:36 of the second period. Center Mario Lemieux had the only assist.
Recchi's 20th goal of the season came on a power play at the 11:54 mark. Defensemen Paul Coffey and Paul Stanton were credited with assists.
Murphy scored a shorthanded goal just 29 second into the third period to give the Penguins a 5-1 lead. Lemieux and left winger Bob Errey had assists.
The Penguins' final goal was scored by left winger Troy Loney at the 3:20 mark off assists from Jagr and defenseman Jim Paek.
The game's final goal was scored by Ciccarrelli on a power play at 10:08. Assists went to defensemen Kevin Hatcher and Sylvain Cote.
Notes:
-Young made 27 saves in the win.
-The three stars were 1.) Recchi 2.) Bourque 3.) Ciccarrelli.
-The Penguins tied a franchise record with their fourth consecutive road win.
Stastistics:
| Player Position |
Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
| Mario Lemieux, C | 35 | 26 | 43 | 69 |
| Kevin Stevens, LW | 37 | 29 | 36 | 65 |
| Joe Mullen, RW | 37 | 25 | 26 | 51 |
| Mark Recchi, RW | 37 | 20 | 24 | 44 |
| Paul Coffey, D | 37 | 7 | 37 | 44 |
| Jaromir Jagr, RW | 37 | 15 | 25 | 40 |
| Larry Murphy, D | 36 | 6 | 24 | 30 |
| Bob Errey, LW | 36 | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| Ron Francis, C | 27 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| Phil Bourque, LW | 30 | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| Jiri Hrdina, C | 22 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| Gordie Roberts, D | 33 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Troy Loney, LW | 34 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Bryan Trottier, C | 25 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Jamie Leach, RW | 24 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Ulf Samuelsson, D | 22 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Ken Priestlay, C | 32 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Jim Paek, D | 33 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Paul Stanton, D | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Grant Jennings, D | 28 | 2 | 1 | 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 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Rangers | 24-13-1 | 49 |
| Capitals | 24-13-1 | 49 |
| Penguins | 21-12-4 | 46 |
| Devils | 17-13-6 | 40 |
| Flyers | 12-17-7 | 31 |
| Islanders | 12-17-6 | 30 |
Also in the news that day:
-Guard Chris Leonard scored 18 points for the West Virginia men's basketball team in an 84-80 loss to Alabama-Birmingham in the Cable Car Classic tournament at Toso Pavilion in Santa Clara, Calif.