During the 2014-15 season, the Penguins were riding high under rookie coach Mike Johnston. Following a 6-4 victory over Edmonton on March 12, they had a healthy record of 39-18-10, good for 88 points. The playoffs seemed a shoe-in.
But a spate of injuries to key personnel exposed depth issues and threatened to bring the team down. The Pens went on a four-game losing streak, scoring only two goals in the process…and never recovered. They went 4-9-2 over the last month, barely squeaking into the playoffs on the final day of the season and were quickly dispatched by the Rangers in the first round.