The Pittsburgh Penguins might be close to full strength for their first-round Game 7 clash against the New York Rangers on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
According to multiple reports, both star forward Sidney Crosby and No. 1 goaltender Tristan Jarry are expected to play with a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals on the line.
Crosby was forced to miss Game 6 — a 5-3 Penguins loss — after taking an elbow from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba up high to the head area.
The main concern obviously was the future Hall of Famer’s history with concussions, but he skated with the team on Saturday during practice and he did not wear a non-contact jersey.
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With Crosby in the lineup, the Penguins took a 3-1 series lead where he posted nine points (2G, 7A) in just four games.
What might provide an even larger lift for Pittsburgh is that Jarry could make his return to the crease for the first time since April 14 after recovering from a fractured foot.
In his absence, Pittsburgh turned to Casey DeSmith for the last regular-season push. However, he went down during Game 1 of the first round against New York due to a lower-body injury.
He was not expected to appear for the rest of this series.
Jarry rebounded well following a down 2020-21 season, going 34-18-6 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average.
If he’s good to go, he’ll be tasked with outdueling Vezina and Hart Trophy finalist Igor Shesterkin, who has looked plenty beatable in between the pipes for the Rangers.
