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,
2013 Stanley Cup playoffs The Blackhawks also became the first Presidents' Trophy winners to win the Stanley Cup since the Red Wings in 2008. They are the most recent NHL team to accomplish this feat. These playoffs featured 27 overtime games, the most since 1993 and the second-most in NHL history. After the regular season, the standard 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks were the Western Conference regular season champions and the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record in the NHL at 77 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 72 points. The Pittsburgh