The 2011β12 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's
forty-fifth season in the
National Hockey League (NHL). The Penguins, which was led by head coach
Dan Bylsma and started the season without
captain center
Sidney Crosby, still managed a 51β25β6 record, an
East-best 29 home wins, and 108-point average, which was second-best in the Eastern Conference.
Background
In February, the team began the league's longest season winning streak and also saw the return of Crosby after missing more than forty games with concussion-like symptoms, before it saw its streak end in March at eleven games.[citation needed]
Center
Evgeni Malkin was able to play in seventy-five games despite difficulties associated with recent knee surgery and recorded his greatest goal tally in a season (fifty) on the way to winning his second
Art Ross Trophy.
Marc-Andre Fleury tied a franchise record for goalie wins (226) in a victory against the Atlantic division winning-
New York Rangers.[citation needed]
The fourth-seed Penguins saw its playoff run end when it lost to the same team that halted its regular-season winning streak, the
Philadelphia Flyers, losing the first three games before its final loss in Game 6 of the
Eastern Conference Semi-finals.[citation needed]
On April 27, Malkin was named as one of three finalists for the
Hart Memorial Trophy,[2] marking his third-career nomination for the award. On June 20 Malkin finished first in votes for the Hart Trophy, earning his first career MVP award.
Pre-season
2011 Pre-season game log: 5β1β0 (Home: 3β0β0 ; Road: 2β1β0)
β Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
β‘Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
Presented by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association to the player who the local media of the PHWA want to acknowledge for his cooperation throughout the year. The award is presented in memory of the late Aldege "Baz" Bastien, Penguins general manager from 1976 to 1983. Sponsor:
UPMCSports medicine
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association votes for the Penguins' Masterton nominee. Each NHL team selects a Masterton candidate from which the overall winner is chosen. The Masterton candidate is nominated as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Sponsor:
Trib Total Media
Presented in memory of A.T. Caggiano, long-time Penguins' locker room attendant & Booster Club supporter, the award is presented by Penguins Booster Club members, who vote for the three stars after every home game and tally votes at the end of the regular season.
The players hold a vote at the end of the season for the player they feel exemplifies leadership for the team, both on and off the ice, a player dedicated to teamwork. Sponsor:
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
The award recognizes the player who has donated a tremendous amount of time and effort during the season working on community and charity projects. Sponsor:
Verizon Wireless
The Penguins' third-round pick went to the
Phoenix Coyotes as the result of a trade on June 7, 2011, that sent
Ilya Bryzgalov to the
Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for
Matt Clackson, future considerations and this conditional pick.[68] The condition β Philadelphia signs Bryzgalov before the start of the third round of the draft[69] β was converted on June 23, 2011.[70] Philadelphia previously acquired the pick as the result of a trade on June 25, 2010 that sent
Dan Hamhuis to Pittsburgh in exchange for this pick.[71]
The Penguins' seventh-round pick went to the
Ottawa Senators as the result of a February 24, 2011, trade that sent
Alexei Kovalev to the Penguins in exchange for this pick, the specific pick being conditional at the time of the trade.[73] The condition β Pittsburgh does not advance to the
2011 Eastern Conference Semi-finals β was converted on April 27, 2011.[74]
a The
San Jose Sharks' seventh-round pick went to the Penguins as the result of a trade on June 26, 2010, that sent a seventh-round pick in
2010 to San Jose in exchange for this pick.[75]
The 2011β12 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's
forty-fifth season in the
National Hockey League (NHL). The Penguins, which was led by head coach
Dan Bylsma and started the season without
captain center
Sidney Crosby, still managed a 51β25β6 record, an
East-best 29 home wins, and 108-point average, which was second-best in the Eastern Conference.
Background
In February, the team began the league's longest season winning streak and also saw the return of Crosby after missing more than forty games with concussion-like symptoms, before it saw its streak end in March at eleven games.[citation needed]
Center
Evgeni Malkin was able to play in seventy-five games despite difficulties associated with recent knee surgery and recorded his greatest goal tally in a season (fifty) on the way to winning his second
Art Ross Trophy.
Marc-Andre Fleury tied a franchise record for goalie wins (226) in a victory against the Atlantic division winning-
New York Rangers.[citation needed]
The fourth-seed Penguins saw its playoff run end when it lost to the same team that halted its regular-season winning streak, the
Philadelphia Flyers, losing the first three games before its final loss in Game 6 of the
Eastern Conference Semi-finals.[citation needed]
On April 27, Malkin was named as one of three finalists for the
Hart Memorial Trophy,[2] marking his third-career nomination for the award. On June 20 Malkin finished first in votes for the Hart Trophy, earning his first career MVP award.
Pre-season
2011 Pre-season game log: 5β1β0 (Home: 3β0β0 ; Road: 2β1β0)
β Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
β‘Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
Presented by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association to the player who the local media of the PHWA want to acknowledge for his cooperation throughout the year. The award is presented in memory of the late Aldege "Baz" Bastien, Penguins general manager from 1976 to 1983. Sponsor:
UPMCSports medicine
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association votes for the Penguins' Masterton nominee. Each NHL team selects a Masterton candidate from which the overall winner is chosen. The Masterton candidate is nominated as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Sponsor:
Trib Total Media
Presented in memory of A.T. Caggiano, long-time Penguins' locker room attendant & Booster Club supporter, the award is presented by Penguins Booster Club members, who vote for the three stars after every home game and tally votes at the end of the regular season.
The players hold a vote at the end of the season for the player they feel exemplifies leadership for the team, both on and off the ice, a player dedicated to teamwork. Sponsor:
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
The award recognizes the player who has donated a tremendous amount of time and effort during the season working on community and charity projects. Sponsor:
Verizon Wireless
The Penguins' third-round pick went to the
Phoenix Coyotes as the result of a trade on June 7, 2011, that sent
Ilya Bryzgalov to the
Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for
Matt Clackson, future considerations and this conditional pick.[68] The condition β Philadelphia signs Bryzgalov before the start of the third round of the draft[69] β was converted on June 23, 2011.[70] Philadelphia previously acquired the pick as the result of a trade on June 25, 2010 that sent
Dan Hamhuis to Pittsburgh in exchange for this pick.[71]
The Penguins' seventh-round pick went to the
Ottawa Senators as the result of a February 24, 2011, trade that sent
Alexei Kovalev to the Penguins in exchange for this pick, the specific pick being conditional at the time of the trade.[73] The condition β Pittsburgh does not advance to the
2011 Eastern Conference Semi-finals β was converted on April 27, 2011.[74]
a The
San Jose Sharks' seventh-round pick went to the Penguins as the result of a trade on June 26, 2010, that sent a seventh-round pick in
2010 to San Jose in exchange for this pick.[75]