{"id":496898,"date":"2026-03-10T18:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/496898\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T18:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:21:23","slug":"dan-muse-provides-encouraging-sidney-crosby-update-but-penguins-are-taking-it-slowly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/496898\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Muse provides encouraging Sidney Crosby update, but Penguins are taking it slowly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse revealed that Sidney Crosby<\/a> is progressing well from a lower-body injury, but poured cold water on any speculation that the captain will return sooner than expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re going in the right direction. Nothing\u2019s changed right now in terms of status, nothing\u2019s changed in terms of anything else. We\u2019ll continue to take it a step at a time,\u201d Muse said Tuesday, via Penguins<\/a> reporter Michelle Crechiolo. \u201cBut it\u2019s obviously great having him out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crosby, 38, has been out since getting hurt with Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics quarterfinals. Watching him skate on Tuesday morning led many to wonder whether Crosby would play against the Carolina Hurricanes today<\/a>, but the game in Raleigh may come too soon for the Penguins captain.<\/p>\n

Crosby\u2019s missed games since Winter Olympics injury<\/p>\n

Crosby\u2019s injury against Czechia in Milano Cortina forced him to watch the Winter Olympics semifinal against Finland as well as the gold medal match against Team USA on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

When returning from the Winter Olympics, the Penguins immediately placed him on injured reserve. On February 25, the team announced that its captain would be out for a minimum of four weeks.<\/p>\n

\"Penguins<\/p>\n

see also<\/p>\n

Penguins reveal important injury update on Sidney Crosby with NHL playoffs looming<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Less than two weeks have passed since then, so there should be no reason to panic. The fact that Crosby is already skating is an encouraging sign, but as Muse said, the Penguins aren\u2019t forcing him to return ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n

Penguins\u2019 form since Crosby\u2019s injury<\/p>\n

Crosby\u2019s absence has been challenging for Pittsburgh though, with the team heading into the Hurricanes game on March 10 on a 3-4 run since the NHL resumed after the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n

The Penguins, however, are still well-positioned in the NHL standings<\/a> as they fight for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With 78 points in 63 games, Muse and company are second in the Metropolitan division, though they have many teams right behind them.<\/p>\n

\"Mart\u00edn<\/a><\/p>\n