The Pittsburgh Penguins just finished their 57th season with a 34-36-12 record, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive campaign.

Despite the ups and downs of the 82-game schedule, the Penguins finished the year on a positive note, defeating the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals, by a 5-2 score on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

The victory in the season finale extended their record in the final game of the regular season to 30-23-2-2. Meanwhile, thanks to a plus-3 goal differential in that game, the club closed the gap in this statistical category, now just minus-1 in season finales, scoring 197 goals and giving up 198. 

Moreover, after being winless in their last two season finales, the Penguins earned their 12th win of the Sidney Crosby era, which began in the 2005-06 season. Ultimately, under his guidance, Pittsburgh has had its best run in the final regular-season games. 

Let's dive into the numbers. 

In the Beginning (1967-1984)

The Penguins won their first two season finales, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in 1968 (5-1) and 1969 (2-1). They suffered their first loss to the Minnesota North Stars (5-1) in 1970, followed by their first tie in 1971 against the St. Louis Blues (1-1).

During this time, Pittsburgh compiled four two-year win streaks: 1968-69, followed by 1972-73 and 1981-82, with their best run occurring from 1976 to 1978, when they won three straight. 

25 Fascinating Facts About The NHL In 2005-06, The Last Time The Penguins Had A Losing SeasonWin or lose on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-35-12) will have their first losing season since the 2005-06 campaign, when the club was 22-46-14.

On the other hand, they also experienced three consecutive streaks of back-to-back losses, in 1970-71, 1974-75, and 1983-84. Meanwhile, during the nine seasons the Penguins qualified for the playoffs, they finished the regular season with a record of 5-4 in those years.

Overall, in the first 17 seasons, Pittsburgh was 9-7-1 in season finales, outscored by opponents 64-54.

Lemieux & Jagr Era (1985-2004)

During one of arguably the greatest eras in franchise history, the Penguins didn't have as much success when Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were winning scoring titles and Stanley Cups. 

As expected, after having the NHL's worst record in 1983-84, the Penguins lost Lemieux's first season finale in 1985 to the Capitals, 7-3.

However, the club responded by winning their next four final regular season games from 1986 to 1989, including three in overtime against the New York Rangers (1986), Detroit Red Wings (1987), and Hartford Whalers (1989).

After a few years of success, they dropped three straight finales from 1990 to 1992, including back-to-back years when they would go on to win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. 

Meanwhile, 1993 featured the only tie of the era, as the Penguins battled the New Jersey Devils to a 6-6 tie to end the 1992-93 season, a year in which the franchise established an NHL record with 17 consecutive victories. One year later, in 1994, the team recorded its first shutout in a season finale, blanking the Ottawa Senators 4-0.

The losses continued into the late 1990s, as the Penguins lost their final regular-season games in 1995, 1996, and 1997, before experiencing a winning streak in 1998 and 1999. This was followed by alternating wins and losses until they suffered back-to-back defeats in 2002 and 2003. 

Penguins Achieved A Historic Goal Scoring Milestone in 2024-25, First Time In Crosby's CareerThe Pittsburgh Penguins are no strangers to scoring, having employed some of the game's greatest snipers like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin.

While Lemieux and Jagr wore black and gold, an era stretching from 1984 to 2004, the Penguins finished 9-10-1 in the season finales, going 0-2 in years they would capture the Stanley Cup. Once again, they were outscored during this time, 85-71, and had a 5-6-1 record in years they qualified for the postseason.

Sidney Crosby Era (2006-Present)

The Penguins won the 2005 NHL Draft Lottery and selected Crosby with the top pick. During his first season, Pittsburgh lost its season finale 5-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. But that loss would end up being one of the few for Crosby and the Penguins in the past 20 seasons. 

Besides alternating wins and losses to begin the Crosby era, the Penguins would go on to establish a franchise record with five consecutive season finale wins from 2009 to 2013, thanks to victories over the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers, Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes. 

Only once during Crosby's tenure have the Penguins lost consecutive season finales, which occurred in both Stanley Cup title years, 2016 (Flyers) and 2017 (Rangers). 

Meanwhile, the club won another three straight games from 2020 to 2022 before losing in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 and then to the Islanders in 2024. 

The 2025 season finale victory against the Capitals improved the Penguins' record under Crosby to 12-6-2.

Despite the 2008 club becoming the only one in franchise history to be shut out in a season finale, the 2015, 2018, and 2021 teams recorded shutouts in the final game of the season. Overall, the goal differential during Crosby's tenure is positive at 67-49.

Considering Pittsburgh advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs from 2007 to 2022, their record in season finales during those seasons was 11-4-1, while they were just 1-2-1 in years they didn't qualify. 

Penguins' Head Coach Sullivan One Of Three Coaches To Accomplish This Historic FeatPittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is only the 15th head coach in NHL history to win 400 games with a single franchise. Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman is the only person to achieve this feat with two clubs. 

Finally, the Penguins played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017. During those campaigns, they wrapped the regular season with a loss, a win, a loss, and a loss. Surprisingly, when Pittsburgh plays in the Final, they are 1-5 in season finales. 

---

Penguins Records vs. Opponents in Season Finales

• Atlanta Flames (1974) 0-1-0 -- 6 GF - 3 GA
• Atlanta Thrashers (2011) 1-0-0 -- 5 GA - 2 GA
• Boston Bruins (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002) 1-4-0 -- 15 GF - 25 GA
• Buffalo Sabres (1980, 1990, 2015, 2021) 2-2-0 -- 6 GF - 12 GA - 2 SO
• Carolina Hurricanes & Hartford Whalers (1981, 1988, 2001, 2013) 4-0-0 -- 23 GF - 13 GA
• Columbus Blue Jackets (2022, 2023) 1-0-0-1 -- 7 GF - 6 GA
• Cleveland Barons (1978) 1-0-0 -- 3 GF - 2 GA
• Detroit Red Wings (1976, 1977, 1987) 3-0-0 -- 14 GF - 11 GA
• Florida Panthers (1995) 0-1-0 -- 3 GF - 4 GA
• Minnesota North Stars (1970) 0-1-0 -- 1 GF - 5 GA
• Montreal Canadiens (2009) 1-0-0 -- 3 GF - 1 GA
• New Jersey Devils (1983, 1993, 2020) 1-1-1 -- 14 GF - 13 GA
• New York Islanders (1982, 1984, 2010, 2024) 2-2-0 -- 18 GF - 14 GA
• New York Rangers (1986, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2017, 2019) 3-3-0-1 -- 18 GF - 26 GA
• Ottawa Senators (1994, 2014, 2018) 2-1-0 -- 10 GF - 3 GA - 2 SO
• Philadelphia Flyers (1968, 1969, 1973, 1989, 2008, 2012, 2016) 5-2-0 -- 23 GF - 18 GA
• St. Louis Blues (1971, 1972) 1-0-1 -- 7 GF - 3 GA
• Toronto Maple Leafs (2006) 0-1-0 -- 3 GF - 5 GA
• Washington Capitals (1975, 1979, 1985, 2003, 2004, 2025) 2-4-0 -- 21 GF - 30 GA

Top 10 Winningest Goalies In Penguins History Ft. Greg MillenAccording to records available at NHL.com, there have been 71 goalies to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins, 60 of whom have registered a victory.