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Sullivan Cleared, Penguins Activate Crosby, 3 Others; Demote O’Connor, Joseph

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby

The Pittsburgh Penguins will have the closest thing to a healthy lineup they have had this season on Sunday night against the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby was activated, along with Brian Dumoulin, Chad Ruhwedel, and Marcus Pettersson.

All four players were eligible to be activated on Saturday in the United States, but Canadian rules require a longer quarantine period. The Penguins game in Ottawa precluded the quartet from playing.

Crosby has played just one game this season.

After rehabbing his surgically repaired wrist for six weeks, he played in one game before entering the COVID protocol on Nov. 3. 

“I’m sure he’s discouraged. He’s worked extremely hard to get to this point and we were all so excited about getting him back in the lineup and just getting back in the fold, and this just kind of just puts another roadblock in front of it,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said on Nov. 3 when announcing the news.

Sullivan is also able to return behind the Penguins bench on Sunday. He is scheduled to speak to the media at 5 p.m. Sunday.

To make room for the four activated players, the Pittsburgh Penguins demoted Drew O’Connor, P.O. Joseph, Juuso Riikola, and Louis Domingue to the WBS Penguins.

O’Connor scored five points (3-2-5) in his first four games but has not scored in the last seven games. Joseph played on the second pairing with John Marino but received slightly sheltered minutes (approximately 17-18 minutes).

From the Pittsburgh Penguins Press Release:

Crosby, 34, has appeared in one game for Pittsburgh this season after missing the first seven games of the season following offseason surgery. In 60 career games versus Washington, Crosby has accumulated 80 points (28G-52A), which is most against the Capitals among all active players in the NHL.

Dumoulin, 30, has dressed for eight games with the Penguins this season, notching one assist. This season, Pittsburgh has picked up points in five of the eight games he has dressed (3-3-2). A veteran of seven-plus seasons, Dumoulin has recorded 97 points (15G-82A) in 396 games.

Pettersson, 25, has one goal, three assists, four points and a team-best plus-7 in nine games this year. The 6-foot-3, 177-pound blueliner had a career-high three points (1G-2A) and plus-5 on Oct. 23 versus Toronto.