Penguins C Crosby to return Thursday

Mar 27, 2008 - 2:59 PM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- After missing the last seven games with a sore right ankle, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby is finally ready to return to the lineup.

Crosby said he will play in Thursday's contest against the New York Islanders.

"I am playing," Crosby told reporters Wednesday. "My ankle feels great and my conditioning is as good as it can get, really, without playing. It always takes a few games, but I feel good."

Without Crosby, the Penguins have opened a four-point lead in the Atlantic Division.

Pittsburgh (44-26-7) clinched a playoff spot with Tuesday's 2-0 victory over New Jersey and is only one point behind the Montreal Canadiens (43-24-10) for first overall in the Eastern Conference.

The reigning Hart Trophy winner, Crosby missed 21 games after suffering a sprained right ankle while crashing into the boards against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 18.

Crosby, the league's leading scorer at the time of his injury, returned on March 4. The Nova Scotia native may have come back too soon, however, as soreness in the ankle forced him to sit again after playing in just three contests.

Crosby thinks there is less of a chance to aggravate the injury again in his latest comeback.

"I feel confident," he said. "I think it is one of those things that will come down to luck, but I feel strong. I feel a lot better than I did coming back the first time. I am more confident, and that's big."

Crosby, 20, has 22 goals and 45 assists in 49 games this season. He collected two goals and two assists in his three-game return from March 4-9.