Sidney Crosby will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“Excited to get back in it,” Crosby told reporters after the morning skate. “Just watching these guys, being on the [road] trip, obviously getting closer [to returning]. It’s been close. So, just happy to finally be back in there.”

It’s the second straight game that the Penguins will see a key player return to the lineup. Center Evgeni Malkin completed his five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and scored two goals and recorded an assist during Monday’s 7-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

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Crosby’s injury happened during Canada's Olympic men's quarterfinal win over Czechia last month. He did not play in the semifinal win over Finland or the gold-medal game loss to the United States.

Upon returning to Pittsburgh, the Penguins announced on Feb. 25 that Crosby would be out at least four weeks.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner, who was teammates with Crosby on Team Canada, told reporters last week that Crosby suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

Crosby last played for the Penguins on Feb. 5 before the Olympic break. The team went 5-3-3 in his absence and remain tied for second place in the Metropolitan Division on 83 points, seven behind the division leading Hurricanes.

There are 15 games to play in the regular season and despite his 11-game absence, Crosby still leads the team in goals (27) and points (59).