Twenty Years Later - Penguins 2, Whalers 2 - 03-22-12
"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' 2-2 tie against the Whalers, March. 22, 1992.
The Penguins had a three-game winning streak snapped at the Hartford Civic Center. Center Murray Craven gave the Whalers a 1-0 lead with a goal against goaltender Tom Barrasso 3:38 into the game. The only assist went to left winger Yvon Corriveau.
The Whalers took a 2-0 lead when right winger Pat Verbeek scored his 20th goal of the season off an assist from former Penguins center John Cullen.
Left winger Kevin Stevens scored the Penguins first goal at 4:47 of the second period against goaltender Peter Sidorkiewicz on a rebound. Defenseman Larry Murphy and center Mario Lemieux netted assists.
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Late in the period at 18:21, Lemieux scored a shorthanded breakaway goal to make it a 2-2 game. Center Ron Francis and Barrasso recorded assists.
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Notes:
-Barrasso made 26 saves in the tie.
-The three stars were 1.) Craven 2.) Lemieux 3.) Stevens.
Statistics:
| Player Position |
Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
| Mario Lemieux, C | 59 | 39 | 76 | 115 |
| Kevin Stevens, LW | 73 | 49 | 64 | 113 |
| Joe Mullen, RW | 73 | 43 | 43 | 86 |
| Larry Murphy, D | 71 | 21 | 51 | 72 |
| Jaromir Jagr, RW | 63 | 31 | 33 | 64 |
| Ron Francis, C | 63 | 19 | 31 | 50 |
| Rick Tocchet, RW | 53 | 22 | 24 | 45 |
| Bob Errey, LW | 71 | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| Bryan Trottier, C | 57 | 10 | 16 | 26 |
| Phil Bourque, LW | 51 | 9 | 15 | 23 |
| Troy Loney, LW | 69 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| Gordie Roberts, D | 66 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| Kjell Samuelsson, D | 69 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Jiri Hrdina, C | 52 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| Ulf Samuelsson, D | 55 | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| Paul Stanton, D | 47 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Ken Priestlay, C | 50 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Jamie Leach, RW | 6 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Jim Paek, D | 49 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Grant Jennings, D | 46 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Peter Taglianetti, D | 44 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Shawn McEachern, C | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeff Chychrun, D | 38 | 0 | 3 | 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 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Rangers | 47-23-5 | 99 |
| Capitals | 42-25-7 | 91 |
| Penguins | 35-29-9 | 79 |
| Devils | 34-26-11 | 79 |
| Flyers | 30-32-11 | 71 |
| Islanders | 30-33-10 | 70 |
Also in the news that day:
-Outfielder Lloyd McClendon went 1 for 1 with a home run in a 7-2 spring training loss to the Cardinals at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla.
(Photo: Penguins Hockey Cards)