The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to play seven games against division leaders over the next four weeks without captain Sidney Crosby, who was injured at the Olympics.
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed center Sidney Crosby on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Crosby has a lower-body injury and is expected to miss at least four weeks, the team said. The news comes as the Penguins return to action on Thursday, looking to remain in a playoff spot while facing some strong opponents over the next month.
The Penguins' captain suffered an injury at the Olympics, where he was captaining Team Canada.
He left Canada's quarterfinal matchup against Czechia in the second period after taking a bodycheck from defenseman Radko Gudas. His right leg appeared to bend awkwardly with the hit.
Although Crosby was evaluated on a game-by-game basis for the semifinal and gold medal game, he was not able to play. Canada beat Czechia 4-3 in overtime and Finland 3-2 in the semifinal to advance to the gold medal game, where they lost 2-1 in overtime to the United States.
"It's the gold medal game at the Olympics," Crosby, 38, said after Sunday's game. "If I could play, then I'd be out there."
Crosby has 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points in 56 games with the Penguins this season. He's their leading scorer by 15 points as the Penguins leave the Olympic break holding onto second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Some of Pittsburgh's opponents over the next four weeks include the Colorado Avalanche twice, the Vegas Golden Knights twice and the Carolina Hurricanes three times. Each of those teams leads its respective division.
While the Penguins trail the Hurricanes by eight points for the top spot in the Metro, they're only one point ahead of the New York Islanders, although the Isles have played two more games than them.
In other news, the Penguins activated defenseman Kris Letang from the injured reserve.
Letang, 38, missed the team's final four games before the Olympic break after suffering a fracture in his foot.
He has three goals and 22 assists for 25 points in 50 games this season. Although his 22:06 of average ice time ranks second-highest on the team, that's his lowest average since 2009-10, his third full NHL season.
Pittsburgh faces the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.