Sidney Crosby set to return in Game 2 for Penguins
Practised on familiar line with Kunitz, Dupuis
Sidney Crosby will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup on Friday night.
The Penguins tweeted that their captain will suit up against the New York Islanders for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final, and Crosby told reporters after the morning skate that he was good to go.
He's been out of the lineup since March 30 with a broken jaw. He was struck by a deflected shot in a game against the Islanders, which broke several of his teeth and required extensive dental work.
Crosby seemed well on his way to the NHL scoring title, and was only overtaken in the race until the final week of the regular season.
Crosby skated with usual linemates Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kuntiz on Friday morning as Pittsburgh tries to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final.
While Crosby will return, Pittsburgh forward James Neal is likely out after leaving Pittsburgh's 5-0 romp in Game 1 with an undisclosed injury.
The Penguins went 8-4 while playing without Crosby for the final quarter of the season and beat the Islanders in four of their five meetings this year.
Despite missing 12 games, Crosby still finished tied for third in the NHL scoring race with 56 points.
He has torched the Islanders throughout his career, scoring 20 goals adding 55 assists against them, the most points has against any team.