Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to return from lower-body injury in game against Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sidney Crosby is back.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain will return to the lineup on Wednesday night against Carolina after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury sustained while competing for Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

“Excited to get back in it,” Crosby told reporters after the team's morning skate.

Crosby hasn't played since his right leg buckled during a collision with Czechia's Radko Gudas during Canada's quarterfinal win at the Olympics. The Penguins placed the 38-year-old on injured reserve after the Olympic break ended.

Pittsburgh, one of the league's biggest surprises this season, went 5-3-3 during Crosby's 11-game absence and is in second place in the Metropolitan Division with less than a month to go. The Penguins are eyeing a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

“It’s never easy watching, but I think you gain even more appreciation when you’re up top, and you just see on a nightly basis, the way we compete, the way we work," Crosby said.

Crosby has 27 goals and 32 assists in 56 games this season, putting him on pace to extend his NHL record for most consecutive years averaging at least a point a game.

His return comes four weeks to the day since he was injured. He had been skating with the team recently and his comeback comes during a busy stretch in which Pittsburgh faces a series of quality opponents, including the division-leading Hurricanes.

Penguins coach Dan Muse credited Crosby's leadership even when he's out of the lineup as one of the reasons Pittsburgh has been able to hang in there.

Crosby's return comes a game after teammate Evgeni Malkin scored two goals in a romp over Colorado after serving a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin.

“To see him come in like that after missing five games was huge,” Crosby said of Malkin. "He set the bar high.”

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