The Pittsburgh Penguins currently sit comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and will likely stay that way for the remainder of the regular season. Recently, the team has been plagued with injuries after numerous marquee players have missed games. James Neal went down with a concussion, Paul Martin suffered a broken hand and captain Sidney Crosby has missed the past six games due to a broken jaw. However, all three players returned to the ice on Monday and the team is aiming to have everyone healthy come playoff time.
Crosby's return comes just weeks after he had surgery to repair a broken jaw after taking a hockey puck to the face. Crosby sported full gear including a face shield and plastic jaw protector. Crosby never had a timetable in place for his return to the team. The best guess was that he could miss four to six weeks if things go well and even that was considered aggressive.
While Crosby is still a work in progress, a return for the playoffs was never a question. With two weeks remaining until the race for the Stanley Cup begins, Crosby has plenty of time to get healthy and be back with the Penguins. Pittsburgh will continue to be patient, but having Crosby back skating is step in the right direction.
Despite continuing to miss games, Crosby still has a four point lead over Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the MVP Award. Crosby will continue to stay in the conversation for the Hart Trophy because of how well he played throughout the early parts of the season. Before going down with injury, Crosby recorded 15 goals and 41 assists. If Crosby were to win the Hart Trophy this year, it would be the second time he has been given the honor in his career. He was previously named MVP back in 2007.
With the Eastern Conference loaded with talent, the Penguins will need Crosby back as soon as possible. The team has a talented roster in place to keep the Penguins No.1 overall in the conference, but they have a better shot at the Stanley Cup with Crosby than without.
