Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Sidney Crosby opens up about Penguins ending frustrating postseason drought

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 9:09 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins added an anticipated chapter to what had become arguably the most stunning story of the 2025-26 NHL season when they clinched a playoff spot and home-ice advantage for the first round of the tournament by notching a 5-2 win at the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Following the victory, Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby discussed the fact that his club will participate in playoff games for the first time since the spring of 2022.

Sidney Crosby reflects on difficult journey back to playoffs

"I know how hard it is," Crosby said about earning a postseason berth, per Bill Price of the NHL's website. "I think I understand that. We had some tough ones where it came down to the last day and didn't get in, and you don't ever know."

Back in September, some wondered if Crosby and fellow franchise icon Evgeni Malkin would still be part of a Penguins team that was expected to be in the early days of a rebuild and near the overall basement of the overall NHL standings at this portion of the campaign. Pittsburgh then became one of the top surprises of the season under first-year head coach Dan Muse, and the Penguins later survived Crosby missing time due to a concerning lower-body injury he suffered during the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Clearly, some associated with the Pens kept receipts regarding what was said about the club ahead of the season:

They wrote us off. We flipped the script. pic.twitter.com/5bwplXzqdr
— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026

"It's exciting," Crosby added about guiding Pittsburgh back to the playoffs. "That's why you play. That's the best time of year, so to know that we're going to be there and to set out to do that, and obviously even more, it's nice to get rewarded. Everybody has had a part in this. Obviously, it's a team game, but especially with this group: With the injuries and all the different guys in and out, everybody's contributed to us getting there."

Sidney Crosby challenges teammates for closing stretch of regular-season games

The Penguins will finish second in the Metropolitan Division standings, but they don’t yet know their opponent for the first round. Crosby seemingly doesn't want Pittsburgh to coast through the club's final three regular-season games, which will take place between this coming Saturday and April 14.

"You want to focus on finishing the season strong," Crosby added during his postgame comments. "That's the big thing, and then kind of let that sort itself out. But yeah, I'm sure we'll be watching closely, and we want to prepare and make sure we're ready."

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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