Twenty Years Later: Penguins 6, Sabres 5 - 10-13-12
Twenty Years Later" is a segment with a highly unimaginative name which will appear on Empty Netters throughout the 2012-13 season. We will examine the Penguins' 1992-93 season which led to the only President's Trophy in franchise history. The 1992-93 squad is commonly regarded as the most talented in the history of the Penguins. We will look back on games on the day they happened.
Today, we look at the Penguins' 6-5 win against the Sabres, Oct. 13, 1992.
The Penguins opened a two-game home stand at the Civic Arena. Just 3:38 into the game, left winger Kevin Stevens gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a tap-in goal against goaltender Darren Puppa. Center Mario Lemieux and right winger Jaromir Jagr netted assists.
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Just over half a minute later at the 4:11 mark, right winger Mike Needham scored his first career regular season goal in the NHL and made it a 2-0 lead. Center Ron Francis and left winger Shawn McEachern had assists.
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At 7:54, rookie right winger Viktor Gordiouk got the Sabres on the scoreboard with a goal against goaltender Ken Wregget. Former Penguins defenseman Doug Bodger recorded the only assist.
Buffalo tied the game, 2-2, at 12:37 when left winger Dave Andreychuk scored on a power play off assists from Bodger and center Pat LaFontaine.
The Penguins regained the lead, 3-2, when Lemieux scored with a slapper from the left circle on a power play just 1:37 into the second period. Francis and and McEachern were credited with assists.
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Less than a minute later at 2:30, the Sabres tied the game again, 3-3, when Andreychuk scored. LaFontaine had the lone assist.
A goal by left winger Brad May put the Sabres up, 4-3, at 9:54: Assists went to center Bob Sweeney and Gordiouk.
The Penguins tied the game once again, 4-4, when Jagr scored on a power play at 11:47 by crashing the net. Assists were credited to Stevens and Lemieux.
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Stevens shrugged off a defender and scored again at 13:25 to put the Penguins up for good, 5-4. Defenseman Bryan Fogarty and Lemieux had assists.
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Defenseman Larry Murphy scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 14:04 mark with a tap-in off assists from Jagr and Lemieux.
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Buffalo right winger Wayne Presley scored the game's final goal at 17:00 of the third period. Rookie left winger Yuri Khmylev and Bodger netted assists.
Notes:
-Wregget made 33 saves in the victory.
-The game's three stars were: 1.) Lemieux, 2.) Stevens 3.) Andreychuk.
-Penguins right winger Rick Tocchet missed the game due to a bruised right foot.
-Fogarty made his debut for the Penguins.
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Devils | 3-1-0 | 6 |
| Penguins | 2-0-2 | 6 |
| Flyers | 2-1-1 | 5 |
| Rangers | 2-1-0 | 4 |
| Capitals | 1-3-0 | 2 |
| Islanders | 0-2-1 | 1 |
Statistics:
| Player Position |
Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
| Mario Lemieux, C | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| Kevin Stevens, LW | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Rick Tocchet, RW | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Ron Francis, C | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Larry Murphy, D | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Shawn McEachern, LW | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Kjell Samuelsson, D | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ulf Samuelsson, D | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mike Needham, RW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Paul Stanton | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bryan Fogarty, D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Grant Jennings, D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jay Caufield, RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Daniels, LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Leach, RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Loney, LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Paek, D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Stapleton, C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Tippett, C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Also in the news that day:
-Outfielder Lloyd McClendon went 3 for 3 with a home run and an RBI for the Pirates who routed the Braves, 13-4, in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. The series was tied, 3-3.
(Photo: Penguins Hockey Cards; Videos-Jay Korber)