PITTSBURGH -- Sid is in. Sidney Crosby made it official Tuesday -- he's returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup Thursday against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It will be the superstar center's first game since Dec. 5, when he developed concussion-like symptoms following a physical game against the Bruins. "I feel good, and the plan is to play Thursday," Crosby said.
Center - PIT
GOALS: 2 | ASST: 10 | PTS: 12 SOG: 31 | +/-: 7
Crosby made the announcement following a practice in which he worked with
Matt Cooke and
Tyler Kennedy on the Penguins' No. 3 line. Coach
Dan Bylsma, at least for this practice, kept his top two lines of
Chris Kunitz-Evgeni Malkin-James Neal and
Steve Sullivan-Jordan Staal-Pascal Dupuis together. "I'm pretty sure I'll end up with them (Cooke and Kennedy)," Crosby said. "I wouldn't see coach putting me with a different pairing after missing this much time. I'm sure he's trying to get guys used to playing with one another. In any game, different line combinations are common, but for the most part that's who I'll be with." Crosby also worked at the point -- a position uncommon to him -- during power plays drills in which
Kris Letang, the star defenseman who has missed five games with concussion-like symptoms, also manned a point position. Previously, Crosby mostly played on the same half-wall position where Malkin, the NHL's leading scorer, has been playing this season. "It's a different spot for me. I played there in juniors so it's been a few years since I've been back there," Crosby said. "I like it. I'm able to see a lot of the ice and have Geno (
Evgeni Malkin) with the big shot on the sidewall. My job is to distribute the puck amongst everyone. When he's shooting the puck like that, just give it to him in that area." This will be the Penguins captain's second much-anticipated comeback of the season -- and it comes in one of the League's biggest games all season. The Penguins have won nine in a row to close to within four points of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division standings. After missing the final 41 games of the 2010-11 season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a concussion that developed after he was hit hard in successive games in January 2011, Crosby sat out the first 20 games of this season. He made a spectacular return against the
New York Islanders on Nov. 21, scoring twice and setting up two other goals. He had eight assists, but no more goals, in the next seven games before the concussion symptoms returned, and he has not played since. Crosby was cleared for contact a week ago and returned to practice, but he didn't believe he had absorbed enough contact in drills to play Sunday against the Bruins. Now, he's ready to be full go again. Adding the former
Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy winner to what already is the NHL's hottest team instantly makes the Penguins one of the Stanley Cup favorites. They have not advanced past the Eastern Conference Semifinals since winning the Cup in 2009. If he plays the rest of the Penguins' schedule, Crosby will get in 14 games before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including six games against the Rangers, Flyers and Bruins. Pittsburgh has three games left against rival Philadelphia. "We'll make sure I get better every game, but I'll pace myself a bit with the schedule," Crosby said. While sitting out the last three months-plus, Crosby met with specialists other than those who have been treating him in Pittsburgh, and a soft tissue injury in his neck was discovered and treated. Crosby believes this diagnosis helped get him back on the ice before the end of the season. Crosby was off to the best start offensively of any NHL player in more than a decade -- he had 32 goals and 66 points in 41 games -- until he was diagnosed with the concussion last season. It was the remaining symptoms from that concussion -- including headaches and motion issues – that kept him out of the first 20 games this season.
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