The Pittsburgh Penguins are still dealing with lots of players being out of the lineup, including stars Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Jeff Carter. Letang and Carter are both dealing with COVID-19, and Crosby is close to returning from a wrist injury. Malkin will not be returning until at least December due to knee surgery.

Head coach Mike Sullivan addressed the media on Thursday to give updates on some of his players. Kris Letang is still dealing with COVID-19 symptoms, but he is dealing with it the best that he can. Jeff Carter also has COVID-19, but he is asymptomatic.

"Tanger is still symptomatic. He is working through it. I called him yesterday, but he did not call me back - I hope to connect with him sometime today... Jeff Carter continues to be asymptomatic," Sullivan explained.

Coach Sullivan on Letang and Carter: "Tanger is still symptomatic. He is working through it. I called him yesterday, but he did not call me back - I hope to connect with him sometime today... Jeff Carter continues to be asymptomatic."— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 28, 2021

Crosby, on the other hand, has been rehabbing from wrist surgery, and was close to making a return to the lineup on Thursday against the Flames.

"So the timeline on how we deal with Sid, I think we'll keep internally," coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. "That's something that we make decisions with our medical staff on a daily basis at this point. We're at that stage where Sid is really, he's getting closer and closer. So we consult with our medical staff throughout the course of each day and first thing in the morning after an overnight. We get feedback from those guys."

"A lot of it, quite honestly, is based on Sid's feedback as well, and where he's at. We're trying to make sure we put Sid in the best possible position to be successful. So we make those decisions daily."

Crosby has participated in the past three practices, joining his usual spot on the first line, as well as the top power-play unit. There is a good chance that Crosby could make his season debut on Saturday night versus the Devils.

nhl.com