Crosby's Return, Penguins' Struggles

On March 24th, Sydney Crosby made his long-awaited return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup after missing time from an Olympic injury, just as the team battles for a playoff spot.

The Penguins had managed without him, including a strong 7-2 victory over the top Colorado Avalanche, powered by Evgeny Malcolm's two goals, and three points fresh off suspension, but Crosby's first game back turned into a thriller against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The matchup went down to the wire, with Crosby tying it up in the second period on a backhand goal.

Seven goals flew in during a chaotic third, forcing overtime, where Carolina's Sean Walker scored just 29 seconds in for a 6-5 win.

Spoiling the homecoming, meanwhile, Pittsburgh bounced back with a shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets, ending a 1-10 skid in those formats.

Crosby set up the tying goal late, helping secure the much-needed points against Goli Conor-Hellibike.

A quick rematch with Carolina brought reality crashing down, though.

The Hurricanes jumped ahead, for nothing by the second period's end, and cruised to a 5-1 win, marking Pittsburgh's third loss to them in.

Pinguins forward, Brian Russ pointed to tired legs in turnovers as the culprits, saying the team played too slowly against Carolina's relentless pressure.

These setbacks underline the challenge ahead. Pittsburgh has the stars and experience, but matching elite execution will decide their postseason fate.

From your team, powered by AI, this is NHL News Today. I'm Corey, with the story.