Sidney Crosby's Return Date Revealed After Olympics Injury With Penguins in 2026 NHL Playoff Race

The Pittsburgh Penguins got some much-needed good news on Wednesday as they try to keep up in the race for the playoffs.

Per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo, Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed that star center and captain Sidney Crosby will return to the lineup for Wednesday night's matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing the last 11 games due to a lower-body injury.

"Just happy to finally be back in there," Crosby told reporters ahead of his return, per ESPN.

The Penguins have won back-to-back games after losing five of their previous six, most recently earning a dominant 7-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL with a 44-13-9 record. At 34-18-15, Pittsburgh ranks second in the Metropolitan Division behind Carolina (42-19-6) with 15 games remaining in the regular season.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets (35-21-11), so they could be vulnerable. A win on Wednesday would certainly boost the Penguins' chances of competing for a division title, so Crosby is making his comeback at the perfect time.

Crosby suffered the injury while playing for Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics against Czechia. Despite being out of action for so long, he still leads the Penguins with 27 goals and 59 points this season. Pittsburgh went 4-3-4 during his absence.

Crosby's return should take some pressure off veteran stars Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson as the Penguins try to stay in the hunt for the division crown.