Penguins at Rangers
THE STORY: Add a great sense of timing to the wondrous skill set that has Sidney Crosby considered by many to be the best player in the world. The brilliant center is set to make his much-anticipated return when the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night. After missing the past 40 games and playing in only eight games in the past 14-plus months due to a concussion and symptomatic effects, it seems only fitting that the game's biggest superstar rejoins the lineup on Broadway. Pittsburgh has won nine consecutive games and trails New York by six points for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSP, TSN2, ROOT
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (42-21-5): Crosby will be eased back into the lineup and play primarily on the third line, a luxury few teams but Pittsburgh can afford. Evgeni Malkin, tied for the league lead with 84 points, has amassed 60 of them since Crosby last played on Dec. 5. All-Star defenseman Kris Letang also may return to the lineup Thursday after sitting out the past five games with concussion-like symptoms. G Marc-Andre Fleury has won his last seven starts, including a shutout of New York.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (44-18-7): New York has bounced back from a three-game skid with home wins over the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. The No. 1 line of Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and rookie Carl Hagelin accounted for nine points in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Carolina. Richards finally is providing the production expected when the Rangers signed him to a nine-year, $60 million deal. He has pumped in five goals in his last three and has collected eight points during a four-game streak.
OVERTIME:
1. Crosby has 20 goals and 34 assists in 38 career games against the Rangers.
2. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist missed Tuesday's scheduled start with the flu. The league leader in shutouts (8), he has allowed at least three goals in five consecutive starts.
3. Pittsburgh's nine-game winning streak started with a 2-0 shutout of the Rangers on Feb. 21.