Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin are skating this afternoon in Pittsburgh after going through the final stage of their COVID protocols. Both players are expected to meet the team on Sunday in Washington ahead of their game against the Capitals, where puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.
Both players will miss their fifth straight game with the Penguins in Ottawa to play the Senators tonight. Dumoulin had not missed a game prior, but for Crosby, it will mark his 12th one missed. The captain had made his season debut on Oct. 30 vs. New Jersey after recovering from wrist surgery, only to be sidelined again ahead of Pittsburgh's next game after testing positive for COVID-19 and experiencing symptoms.
"We'll have to see how everything goes, but he'll be skating today and we'll take it day by day here," assistant coach Todd Reirden said when asked if Crosby would be a game-time decision vs. Washington.
Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel are also taking the ice back at home, as they were ineligible to play versus Ottawa tonight due to the Canadian government's mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement following their previous positive tests for COVID-19.
Both players had returned to the lineup on Thursday against Florida, and it's especially good news that Pettersson is skating today, as the defenseman had absorbed a big hit in the first period of that contest and did not return.
Finally, head coach Mike Sullivan is expected to make his return behind the bench tomorrow night in DC after completing his COVID-19 protocol.
"That's what we're hoping for, is that he will be behind the bench tomorrow in Washington providing that everything goes along as planned," said Reirden, who has been in charge during Sullivan's absence.
