Gameday Report: Crosby returns to Pens lineup

Sid the Kid is back, baby!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Gameday Report: Crosby returns to Pens lineup
Zuma Press

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that captain Sidney Crosby will play tonight in the team’s game against the Dallas Stars.

The superstar has been on the shelf for a week with an upper body injury.



Read below for the press release announcement courtesy of the team’s official website:

The Pens got some much-needed good news this morning when Sidney Crosby confirmed that he would return to the lineup tonight against Dallas. The Pens captain has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury.
"I feel good," Crosby said. "I'm glad. I'm excited to get back in the lineup and get out there."
Crosby being back marks the first time the Pens will have their top-three centers in the lineup since Oct. 25 at Calgary. Crosby will join Derick Brassard, who scored in Monday's 5-4 OT loss to Buffalo, and Evgeni Malkin, who has collected 7 assists over a 4-game point streak.
"It certainly will help," Pens head coach Mike Sullivan said. "When we have the full complement of the centers we think we're strong up the middle. That's one of the strengths of our group. Certainly, when those three guys are in the lineup we're a better hockey team."
* Crosby practiced on a line with Patric Hornqvist and Jake Guentzel on Tuesday, with Sullivan noting that both wingers have been playing extremely well. I think what's been most noticeable about Guentzel's game is the amount of scoring chances he's getting.
He's coming off a performance where he scored one goal, but probably could have had a couple more, ending the night with a season-high six shots while being named the game's Third Star.
"Whenever you're getting scoring chances, you're putting yourself in the right area," Guentzel said. "You'd like to score on a couple more of those, but you just have to stay positive through it. You're getting the chances and hoping the bounces will come. I was fortunate to get a bounce last game and you just hope those keep coming and coming."
Trying to stay positive can be easier said than done. After one missed opportunity, Guentzel showed some visible signs of frustration, slamming his stick on the glass.
When we visited him in Minnesota this summer, his father Mike told us about how competitive he was as a kid, to the point where he would toss his golf club, whack the ball after missing a putt or stomping and kicking on the baseball field if something didn't go right. But as he gets older, he's trying to channel his emotions the right way.
"You might get a little frustrated, especially when you're not winning," Jake said. "It's a little harder because you know those goals are a big difference. I think that's the biggest thing, I just had some bad luck last game and after you realize it, you've just got to have fun and stick to it and the chances are coming, so hopefully the bounces start coming."
As Crosby noted this morning, it's honestly tough for everyone to stay positive with how things are going right now.
"It's never easy when you're losing games," Crosby said. "I think guys get frustrated and I think it's a matter of getting through that. Obviously, we did a lot of good things last game so we got to build off of that. It's always a better feeling when you're winning than when you're losing."
* Sullivan confirmed that Casey DeSmith will get his second straight start in goal. The Pens netminder has gotten the nod for six of the past 7 games. The Pens are trying to manage the net as best they can, acknowledging both DeSmith's strong body of work and Matt
Murray's struggles while keeping both the short-term and long-term in mind.
"We're trying to win the game tonight," Sullivan said. "We think right now that is the priority at this point. That's part of the rational on why we chose to go with Casey tonight. Having said that, we also look at the big picture in trying to re-engage Matt here in getting him moving in the right direction. We'll take each game as it comes. But we certainly have given lots of consideration in terms of the short-term and the bigger picture."