The Pittsburgh Penguins survived a 4-3 shootout battle with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, but the highlight, or lowlight, was captain Sidney Crosby leaving the game with an apparent injury.
Completing all his first-period shifts, Crosby went to the dressing room with less than three minutes remaining. He returned for a single shift in the second period before exiting for the remainder of the game. He finished the game with 6:39 of ice time, one shot, and a +1 rating.
While the Penguins did not provide details on the injury, a collision with Senators forward Nick Cousins along the boards seems to have caused it.
This hit from Nick Cousins along the boards is the suspected cause of Sid's departure https://t.co/xDUIbKPK3x pic.twitter.com/i1gQrVZXpK
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 27, 2026
The 38-year-old center was playing his fifth game since returning from a lower-body injury sustained during the February Olympics, where he suffered a torn MCL that kept him out for 11 games. Coming into the game, he was on a four-game point streak, with one goal and four assists.
Despite Crosby's absence, Pittsburgh ended a two-game losing streak. Rickard Rakell led the offense with two goals and one assist. Erik Karlsson scored a goal and provided two assists. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 26 saves through regulation and overtime and stopped two of three shootout attempts.
Drake Batherson led the way for Ottawa, scoring twice in regulation and once in the shootout to hit a career-high 29 goals this season. Tim Stutzle racked up two assists, reaching 400 career points. Linus Ullmark made 34 saves, but stopped just one of three shootout attempts.
The Penguins outshot the Senators 38-29 and overcame a 3-3 tie after regulation. Rookie Ben Kindel, who replaced Crosby in the lineup, scored the game-winning shootout goal.
Up next, Pittsburgh will host the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
