2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins season 2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins season The 2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the 51st season for the National Hockey League ice hockey team that was established on June 5, 1967. They entered the season as two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. It was the first season since the 2002–03 season in which the team played without goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was drafted to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The Penguins failed to defend their title, after being eliminated in the Second Round of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, ending their chances of a possible three-peat,
Pittsburgh Penguins the Hershey Bears. Ever since their inception, the Columbus Blue Jackets had never established a consistent rivalry with any other team. That changed starting from the 2013–14 season, when they were placed in the same division as Pittsburgh. The 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs furthered the rivalry as Columbus won their first ever playoff game on April 19, 2014 against Pittsburgh. Due to geographical proximity, there's significant crossover of Pittsburgh fans with Columbus, often leading to the games in Nationwide Arena being well-attended by Penguins faithful for away games, much to the consternation of Blue Jackets fans. Subsequent years, in addition