Twenty Years Later - North Stars 5, Penguins 2 - 02-15-12
"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' 5-2 loss to the North Stars, Feb. 15, 1992.
The Penguins lost their fourth consecutive game at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minn. Former North Stars defenseman Larry Murphy opening the scoring 5:54 into the game with a shorthanded goal against goaltender Darcy Wakaluk. Assists went to center Mario Lemieux and defenseman Gordie Roberts.
At the 12:27 mark, the North Stars tied the game, 1-1, when center Dave Gagner scored a power-play goal against goaltender Tom Barrasso. Center Neal Broten and defenseman Mark Tinordi recorded assists.
Just three minutes into the second period, left winger Gaetan Duchesne scored to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. Left winger Brian Bellows and Broten netted assists.
At the 16:14 mark, right winger Ulf Dahlen scored his 30th goal of the season to put Minnesota up, 3-1. Center Todd Elik recorded the only assist.
Murphy scored his second goal of the game at 7:52 of the third period to make it 3-2. Roberts and left winger Kevin Stevens had assists.
Right winger Mike Modano scored at 16:29 to give the North Stars a 4-2 lead. Dahlen had the lone assist.
A power-play goal by Elik at 18:17 capped off the scoring. Right winger Mike Craig and Dahlen netted assists.
Notes:
-Barrasso made 28 saves in the victory.
-The three stars were 1.) Dahlen 2.) Duchesne 3.) Broten.
Statistics:
| Player Position |
Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
| Kevin Stevens, LW | 56 | 37 | 51 | 88 |
| Mario Lemieux, C | 43 | 29 | 52 | 81 |
| Mark Recchi, RW | 56 | 33 | 35 | 68 |
| Joe Mullen, RW | 56 | 30 | 33 | 64 |
| Paul Coffey, D | 52 | 9 | 51 | 60 |
| Jaromir Jagr, RW | 48 | 23 | 28 | 51 |
| Larry Murphy, D | 54 | 13 | 34 | 47 |
| Ron Francis, C | 46 | 12 | 20 | 32 |
| Bob Errey, LW | 55 | 12 | 10 | 22 |
| Bryan Trottier, C | 42 | 9 | 13 | 22 |
| Troy Loney, LW | 53 | 8 | 14 | 22 |
| Gordie Roberts, D | 50 | 2 | 17 | 19 |
| Phil Bourque, LW | 39 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| Jiri Hrdina, C | 30 | 3 | 11 | 14 |
| Ken Priestlay, C | 46 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Ulf Samuelsson, D | 39 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Jamie Leach, RW | 36 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Paul Stanton, D | 36 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Jim Paek, D | 39 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Grant Jennings, D | 42 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Peter Taglianetti, D | 39 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Gord Dineen, D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenn Mulvenna, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Todd Nelson, D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Daniels, LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Caufield, RW | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Rangers | 37-18-3 | 77 |
| Capitals | 33-20-5 | 71 |
| Devils | 30-18-7 | 67 |
| Penguins | 26-24-6 | 58 |
| Islanders | 23-26-7 | 53 |
| Flyers | 21-25-10 | 52 |
Also in the news that day:
-In the first round of the Albertville Olympics, Penguins right winger prospect Shawn McEachern scored a goal for the United States which defeated Poland, 3-0, at Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, France. Goaltender Ray LeBlanc made 24 saves in the victory.
-The Pirates re-signed pitcher Doug Drabek to a one-year contract worth $4.5 million.
-Guard Sean Miller scored 25 points for Pitt in an 84-74 loss to St. John's at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse.
(Photo: Penguins Hockey Cards)