All it took was one coaching change and the Pittsburgh Penguins were off to the races.
After a 15-10-3 start, Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford was not pleased with the product that the team he helped construct was putting on the ice. In response, he fired then-head coach Mike Johnston and hired then-AHL head coach Mike Sullivan, who was 18-5 with the Penguins’ affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
After a coaching change, some very smart acquisitions such as Justin Schultz and Carl Hagelin, as well as some smart call-ups in the form of Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, and Matt Murray, the Penguins went on a tear, ultimately finishing the regular season 33-16-5.