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Pittsburgh Penguins: Is Sidney Crosby Returning from Injury Against the Carolina Hurricanes?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Glenn Kaplan | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 12:34 PM ET

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby did not play on Monday night in Pittsburgh's 7-2 win on the road against the Colorado Avalanche. He has been practicing over the last week or so. Crosby has been getting prepared to play.

The Penguins on Wednesday night will be on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes. This will be the second straight game that Carolina will be playing in after losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road 5-1.

Pittsburgh this season has a 34-18-15 record with 83 points. Carolina this season has a 42-19-6 record with 90 points. Is this the game that Crosby will finally return to the lineup?

Sidney Crosby Will Return to the Lineup on Wednesday for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) waves a Terrible Towel in support of the Pittsburgh Steelers after being named a star of the game against the Boston Bruins at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsCharles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Crosby was at morning skate for the Penguins on Wednesday ahead of the matchup against the Hurricanes. Pens Inside Scoop reported good news on the Penguins captain on Twitter and said, "Dan Muse confirms that Sidney Crosby returns to the lineup tonight against Carolina after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury." This is great news for Pittsburgh that Crosby will be returning to the lineup.

They are no doubt going to need him down the stretch. Pittsburgh is currently the two seed in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins need to win as many games as possible down the stretch because of how brutal the Eastern Conference is.

Crosby has not played since the quarterfinals game of the Olympics against the Czech Republic. He suffered a lower-body injury then on a hit by Radko Gudas.

The last time Crosby played in an NHL game for the Penguins was on February 5 against the Buffalo Sabres. This season with Pittsburgh, he has played in 56 games. Crosby has scored 27 goals and has recorded 32 assists. His plus/minus rating is 1.

Evgeni Malkin returned from his five-game suspension on Monday night and scored two goals and recorded an assist. Hopefully, Crosby can have a similar impact for the Penguins on Wednesday night in his return to game action. If he has a major impact right away, Pittsburgh is going to be a very difficult team to beat moving forward.

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

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