Penguins' Sidney Crosby to Return from Wrist Injury, Make Season Debut vs. Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will make his first appearance of the season Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed following the team's morning skate that Crosby is ready to go.

"Sid and [Jeff Carter] are both going to play tonight," he said. "And I think it goes without saying, they offer us so much on both sides of the puck. We're just a much better hockey team when they're in our lineup. So we're excited to have them back in the lineup."

The 34-year-old forward underwent wrist surgery in September, with the team setting six weeks as the minimum time he'd miss. His debut will come a little after the seven-week mark.

Sullivan said Wednesday that Crosby was "day-to-day" and "getting real close" to a return.

Despite not having the services of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who's recovering from offseason knee surgery, the Penguins are 3-2-2 and sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division. Things could be a lot worse for the team, given who has been missing.

But Pittsburgh has dropped three of its last four games and scored two goals in those contests. The Pens' power-play percentage (16.0) also ranks 22nd in the NHL.

"It makes our power play more dangerous," Sullivan said of Crosby and Carter's combined presence, the latter of whom has been in the league's COVID-19 protocol for the last three games. "It makes matchups more difficult for our opponents. It has a ripple effect on our whole team. But these guys are real good players. It's nice to get some of these guys starting to come back into our lineup."

Crosby in particular could be the perfect tonic for the team's offensive woes of late.