Breaking: Sidney Crosby Injury Timeline Revealed by Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby

It's official. The Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff push just took a massive hit. The team has announced that Sidney Crosby has been ruled out for at least four weeks.

Crosby is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. https://t.co/K3WB2aQa9y
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) February 25, 2026

Crosby suffered a lower-body injury late in the Olympics, in the team’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia. He missed both the semifinal victory against Finland and the Gold Medal Game loss to the USA.

If the four-week schedule holds, the captain will miss about 15 of the Pens' remaining 26 games down the stretch. Seven of those 15 are against division leaders.

The Penguins are currently 29-15-12 with 70 points, good for second spot in the Metropolitan Division. They were well on their way to the team's first playoff berth in four years. The loss of their captain, however, will obviously be a huge obstacle to overcome. They do have a five-point lead on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the top team at the moment on the outside looking in at a Wild Card berth.

At the age of 38, Sid the Kid hasn't slowed a bit this season, with 27 goals and 59 points in 56 games.

While there's been some talk that Evgeni Malkin would slide back over to the center spot in Sid's absence, it's notable that Rickard Rakell worked in the pivot on the top line in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll see how the lineup shakes out soon enough. The Penguins' first game back from the break is Thursday night, hosting the New Jersey Devils.