Penguins’ Crosby returns after one-game absence
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting their captain back for their end-of-season playoff push.
The team announced that center Sidney Crosby will return to their lineup for Monday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Sidney Crosby returns to the @penguins lineup tonight against the Islanders. 🙌 Crosby's 140 points (44G-96A) versus New York are the most by any active player against any one team, and his 1.52 points-per-game average versus them is his highest against any opponent.
Crosby, 38, appeared to suffer an undisclosed injury during Pittsburgh’s 4-3 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators on March 26th. He left the game early in the second period after heading to the dressing room before his teammates at the end of the first period. He missed Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Through 61 games this season, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native has 28 goals and 36 assists for a team-leading 64 points. He’s missed a total of 12 games so far this season, primarily due to a lower-body injury he suffered while playing for the Canadian men’s national team at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
It’s been a milestone season for Crosby, who in December passed Mario Lemieux to become the Penguins’ all-time leading scorer, which also made him the eighth-highest scorer in NHL history. He is currently just five points away from passing Steve Yzerman’s 1,755 career points on the all-time list.
Crosby’s main focus, though, is getting Pittsburgh back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. His legacy is already cemented, with three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, and plenty of individual honors to his name, but Crosby would love to make at least one more deep postseason run.
With 88 points through 73 games, the Penguins sit third in the Metropolitan Division, but are only two points above the cutline for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. As a result, this final nine-game stretch of their regular season is of vital importance.
After Monday’s game against the Islanders, Pittsburgh will host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.