Sidney Crosby made his long-awaited return on Wednesday after recovering from an injury suffered during the Olympics. In a highly anticipated matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, Crosby even threw punches, but it wasn’t enough as the Pittsburgh Penguins fell 6-5 in overtime.
Why Sidney Crosby’s Return Wasn’t Enough Against the Hurricanes
After missing 11 games with a Grade 2 MCL sprain sustained at the 2026 Olympics, Crosby wasted no time making an impact. He logged over 18 minutes of ice time and finished with a goal and an assist, looking sharp despite the layoff.
The game wasn’t short on emotion either. In the second period, Crosby got tangled up in the corner with Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, leading to a heated exchange. Crosby threw a punch to Svechnikov’s head, while Svechnikov responded with a slash to the back of Crosby’s legs, making contact with the same knee he injured during the Olympics.
Crosby received a two-minute minor for roughing. Svechnikov was handed penalties for holding the stick and unsportsmanlike conduct.
“He just was grabbing my stick,” Crosby told Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports. “I mean, multiple times. So, I mean, I don’t know what he expects me to do if he’s holding on my stick for that long. And obviously, there was no call. It was a coincidental. Plus, he slashed me after that. Then he ends up yelling at the ref, so he probably could have got three penalties.”
When asked if Svechnikov was targeting his injured knee, Crosby dismissed the idea. “No, no. You know, he does that a lot regardless.”
Carolina opened the scoring with a short-handed goal from Jordan Martinook. In the second period, Crosby answered with his 28th goal of the season. But Jackson Blake put the Hurricanes back in front before the intermission.
The third period turned into a wild back-and-forth, featuring seven goals. Erik Karlsson tied it early on a 5-on-3, but Taylor Hall quickly gave Carolina the lead again, only for Bryan Rust to respond and even things up.
Logan Stankoven then pushed the Hurricanes ahead before Pittsburgh surged in front 5-4 with goals from Karlsson and Ben Kindel. Still, K’Andre Miller scored late to tie it and send the game to overtime.
In OT, Sean Walker delivered the winner for Carolina with just 28.3 seconds left.
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Despite the loss, Crosby acknowledged the chaotic nature of the game. “Both coaches probably wouldn’t be thrilled with it, some lead changes and things like that,” Crosby said. “Sometimes that’s what the game dictates, and ultimately it’s about winning it at the end of the day. We’ve got to find a way to win that game.”
Even with Crosby back in the lineup, the Penguins couldn’t secure the win, though they did earn a point in the overtime loss.
They’ll look to bounce back quickly when they face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
