Crosby, Malkin Sidelined as Penguins Push for Playoffs
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- Crosby exited with a lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday's 4-3 shootout win in Ottawa and missed Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars
- Malkin sat out his third straight game with an upper-body injury that surfaced following a March 22 loss to Carolina
- Crosby, 38, had already missed roughly a month earlier this season with a separate lower-body injury sustained while playing for Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics
- Coach Dan Muse labeled both players day-to-day as the Penguins head into games at the New York Islanders on Monday and at home against Detroit on Tuesday
- Pittsburgh dropped to third place in the Metropolitan Division standings, holding just a one-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets with nine games remaining
- The Penguins are chasing their first playoff appearance since 2022
Why it matters: Pittsburgh's one-point cushion in the Metropolitan Division with only nine games left is fragile enough without both franchise icons shelved at once. Crosby's second lower-body injury in roughly a month — following one picked up at the Olympics — underscores durability concerns for the 38-year-old right when the Penguins need him most to end a two-season playoff drought.
