Sidney Crosby’s night ended far too soon in Ottawa on March 26. The Penguins won their game 4-3 in a shootout, but the victory felt uneasy. With the NHL playoffs just weeks away, Pittsburgh’s franchise player left the ice early. An entire fanbase immediately started holding its breath waiting for answers from the medical staff.
This injury could not have arrived at a worse time for Pittsburgh hockey. The Penguins are scrapping for every single point in a brutally tight Metropolitan Division race right now. Losing Crosby for even a handful of games changes everything about their chances. The team, the city, and the coaching staff are all watching and waiting with genuine concern about what comes next.
Let’s take a closer look at everything that happened.
What happened on the ice against Ottawa
Crosby appeared to get his left leg tangled during a collision along the boards near the end of the first period. He skated off, went through the tunnel, then briefly returned to take one 38-second shift at the start of the second period before heading back to the locker room permanently. It was a jarring moment.
He logged just 6:39 of total ice time across nine shifts that evening and recorded one shot on goal. Coach Dan Muse addressed reporters postgame but offered very little reassurance or clarity. “Still got to get some updates,” Muse said. “It’s lower body, but I don’t have any other updates for you now.” Pittsburgh then announced that he would not return to the game.
The Penguins won anyway on a big night from Karlsson
Even without their captain on the ice, Pittsburgh found a way to earn two crucial points in Ottawa. Defenseman Erik Karlsson delivered a standout performance, recording a goal and two assists to help carry Pittsburgh to the shootout win. Rickard Rakell added two goals and an assist in what became a genuine team effort on a night when the Penguins needed someone to step up immediately.
“When Sid leaves the game, obviously we have two options,” Karlsson said after the victory. “We can hang our heads and admit defeat, or everybody can just say to themselves that I’m going to do my absolute best.” Pittsburgh chose the latter and executed under pressure. The win moved them into second place in the Metropolitan Division and kept their playoff hopes firmly alive for another night.
The Olympic knee injury that started this whole saga
Crosby suffered a lower-body injury during Team Canada’s 4-3 overtime quarterfinal win over Czechia on February 18. The injury kept him out of Canada’s semifinal victory over Finland and its 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game. It was a brutal end to an incredible Olympic tournament run.
That Olympic injury forced Crosby to miss 11 straight Penguins games following the Olympic break. He returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup on March 18 at Carolina, immediately recording a goal and an assist. He posted five points across five games before the Ottawa incident. Thursday was only his fifth appearance back, making the timing of a second lower-body issue especially alarming for everyone around the Penguins organization.
Fun fact: At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Crosby wore the captain’s ‘C’ for Team Canada despite being 38 years old, becoming one of the oldest players ever to captain a Canadian Olympic hockey squad at a Winter Games.
Crosby misses Dallas but travels to New York
The Penguins announced that Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would both miss the game against Dallas and listed each player as day-to-day. Pittsburgh then lost 6-3 to the Stars without its two veteran centers.
Crosby took full contact at practice on Sunday and traveled with the Penguins to New York for Monday’s game against the Islanders. His status for that game remained undetermined. “They’re all important at this point,” Crosby told reporters. “It’s a big race, a big stretch for us. These are the ones you want to be in. These are big games.”
What Crosby’s 2025-26 numbers actually show
Crosby entered the Islanders game leading Pittsburgh with 64 points, including 28 goals and 36 assists in 61 games during his 21st NHL season. His production has remained elite despite missing time this month with lower-body injuries.
His consistency over two decades remains one of professional sports’ most remarkable stories. Crosby broke Wayne Gretzky’s record of 19 consecutive point-per-game seasons, extending the mark to 20 straight. No other player in NHL history has come close to matching that kind of sustained offensive output over two full decades.
Fun fact: Crosby skated at age three and scored 72 goals with 90 assists in just 57 high school games, a performance that personally caught the attention of Wayne Gretzky.
The Metropolitan Division race has almost no margin
The Penguins sit third in the Metropolitan Division at 36-21-16 with 88 points, one point behind the New York Islanders at 42-27-5. Pittsburgh is also tied in points with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently hold the second Eastern Conference wild card spot.
Pittsburgh missed the playoffs in three straight seasons from 2023 through 2025, ending a remarkable 16-year postseason streak that was the longest in the four major North American sports leagues. The Penguins last won a playoff series back in 2018. With 18 days left in the regular season, every point matters enormously, and every game without Crosby adds real pressure to the entire Pittsburgh roster.
What comes next for Crosby and Pittsburgh
Crosby traveled with the team to New York after being listed as day-to-day and returned to the lineup for Monday night’s game against the Islanders. He had taken full contact at practice on Sunday after missing the previous game against Dallas.
Crosby himself has been direct about exactly what motivates him through the pain and the uncertainty. With Pittsburgh’s entire postseason future potentially hinging on the next two weeks, there is every reason to believe the 38-year-old captain will fight as hard as medically possible to get back on the ice and lead his team where it needs to go.
TL;DR
- Sidney Crosby left Pittsburgh’s 4-3 shootout win over Ottawa on March 26 with a lower-body injury after just 6:39 of ice time.
- The injury came only five games after he returned from a lower-body injury suffered during Team Canada’s Olympic quarterfinal victory over Czechia.
- Crosby was ruled out against Dallas on Saturday but traveled to New York and took full contact at practice Sunday.
- He entered the Islanders game leading Pittsburgh with 64 points in 61 games and is the franchise leader in games played, assists, and points.
This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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