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Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Joona Koppanen scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.
By tipping home a Vladislav Kolyachonok shot from the point, he became the 28th player, including goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, to light the lamp for the team this season.
The 2024-25 Penguins need just one more player to score their first goal of the year to tie the 2013-14 and 2009-10 squads, with 29 players recording a goal.
However, only once in Sidney Crosby's career did the Penguins have 30 different goal scorers in a single season, which occurred during the 2019-20 season.
On the flip side, the fewest number of Pittsburgh's goal scorers in the past 20 seasons was 22, a feat achieved during the 2011-12 campaign. Interestingly, that total ranks 11th lowest in franchise history.
Here's a breakdown of the fewest goal-scorers by season in Penguins history:
- 21 (1971, 1976, 1979, 1993, 1999)
- 20 (1995)
- 19 (1970, 1973, 1977)
- 18 (1968)
Meanwhile, this year's club is on the verge of joining some exclusive company in team history. Only ten times has the Penguins lineup had 29 different goal scorers, and only six times did they reach 30 or more.
- 29 (1987, 1991, 2010, 2014)
- 30 (2000, 2020)
- 31 (2003, 2004)
- 33 (1984)
- 35 (1988)
No matter how the remainder of the 2024-25 season plays out, it is safe to say no lineup will get close to matching the 1988 team, which had 35 different scorers, led by Mario Lemieux and his 70 lamplighters.
Although no goalies scored a goal that season, Dan Quinn hit 40, Randy Cunneyworth had 35 and Rob Brown had 24. Overall, 11 skaters reached double digits, and 16 had five or more. Finally, Brad Aitken scored his first and only NHL goal that season on Oct. 13, 1987.
Who's next in line to become the Penguins' 29th goal scorer in 2024-25?
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