The New York Islanders' worst nightmare is becoming reality: Sidney Crosby will be back on the ice with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup.
The former league MVP was ruled out of Game 1 by doctors on Wednesday, but it didn't matter, as the Penguins rolled to a 5-0 victory on home ice.
Now, with their best player and captain back in the fold, the Penguins will be even harder to stop, even if sniper James Neal remains out of the lineup.
Crosby, who hasn't suited up since suffering a broken jaw after taking a puck to the face against the Islanders on March 30th, lead the league in scoring until the final week of the season, despite missing the final 12 games of the season.
In his absence, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin have picked up the slack offensively, but Crosby's presence isn't something any coach can replace.
Though it remained unclear whether Crosby would be available for Game 2, it seemed that the 25-year-old superstar was close to returning, given that NHL.com reported he was skating with some familiar faces.
During the team's morning skate Friday, Crosby took line rushes in his usual spot, centering a line with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. He also worked on the team's top power-play unit.
Crosby won't have to be exceptional for the Penguins to beat the Islanders, but assuming Pittsburgh advances with ease, he'll have time to get readjusted to playing at game speed.
Though Crosby ultimately may not win the Hart Trophy as league MVP due to missing the most important quarter of the season, there's no questioning that he would have if not for the injury, and given what he's been able to overcome in the past, he'll regain that crown in no time.
The Penguins managed to hang onto the No. 1 seed in the East without the game's best player for the final 12 games, so now that he's back, the path to the Stanley Cup Finals for every Eastern Conference team just got that much more difficult.
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