Sidney Crosby Returns for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby is back. Projected to be in the lineup as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes, this will be Sid’s first game since suffering an injury in the quarterfinals against Czechia at the Olympics. He’s been out for 11 games.

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The feeling was that Crosby might be out a little longer, as on February 25the Penguins announced he would be out for at least four weeks. Serving as Team Canada’s captain, he tried all he could to play in the Gold Medal game, but he knew he wasn’t 100 percent, and he couldn’t put himself in the lineup. It was learned later that the injury was much more serious than originally thought.

Pittsburgh continues to be in the playoff race and has gone 5-3-3 without Crosby in the lineup. They’ve kept pace despite his absences and even continued to play well without Evgeni Malkin, who was out serving a five-game suspension. The team was tied for second in the Metro Division, and remains in that spot as of this writing.

That he’s returning is big news for Pittsburgh, which will be grateful to have all that its captain brings to the ice. He will center the first line, between Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.

The Penguins have 15 games remaining in the season and are looking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2022. 

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