James Guillory-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Penguins: Frankie Corrado Believes They Have Good Playoff Chances with Sidney Crosby Back in the Lineup

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Glenn Kaplan | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 1:06 PM ET

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby returned to the ice on Wednesday night for the first time in four weeks. He was out with a lower-body injury since the Winter Olympics. This was also Crosby's first game with Pittsburgh since February 5 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Crosby scored one goal and recorded one assist in his return to game action. The Penguins fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 in overtime. Even with the loss, there are a lot of things that Pittsburgh has to be excited about.

They are currently the number two seed in the Metropolitan Division with a 34-18-16 record with 84 points. Pittsburgh needs to get wins and continue to rack up points down the stretch. Is this the best chance of Crosby making the playoffs this season?

Frankie Corrado of TSN Believes That Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins Will Qualify for the Playoffs

Mar 18, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) battle over the puck during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Frankie Corrado of TSN talked about the chances of the Penguins making the playoffs with Crosby back in the lineup. They will have 14 games remaining in a very tough Eastern Conference. Corrado likes Pittsburgh's chances of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2021-2022 NHL season.

He said, "The reality for the Pittsburgh Penguins now is this, there is a very good chance Sidney Crosby is playing playoff games again." The last playoff series they played in was against the New York Rangers and they lost that series in seven games.

The last time that Pittsburgh won a playoff series was in 2018 against the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the first-round. Crosby this season has played in 57 games. He has scored 28 goals and has recorded 33 assists. His plus/minus rating is 1.

With Crosby being 38 years old, this could be the last possible chance of him winning a Stanley Cup Title if they were to make the postseason. He has won three titles before. This could be the last time that he, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin will have a chance to win it all. One major difference this time around is having Erik Karlsson on the back end. They will next play on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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