WASHINGTON -- The Penguins will have Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, and Chad Ruhwedel available to be back in the lineup Sunday night against the Capitals, Mike Sullivan announced in his pregame media availability.
Crosby and Dumoulin will be playing in their first games since testing positive for COVID on Nov. 3. Pettersson and Ruhwedel made their returns from COVID Thursday against Florida, but missed Saturday's game against the Senators in Ottawa due to Canadian border restrictions, and not meeting the 14-day quarantine requirement since they last tested positive.
For Crosby, this will be just his second game of the season. He made his season debut after recovering from his offseason wrist surgery against the Devils on Oct. 30, a game in which he was clearly displeased with his own performance.
"You want to win and and play well, and that didn't happen tonight," Crosby said after that game. "So, got some improving to do here."
Two weeks later, he'll have an opportunity to make that happen.
Sullivan said that Dumoulin's symptoms "weren't as severe" as Crosby's, and that Dumoulin was able to work out on an exercise bike a handful of times during his quarantine. Crosby "got better toward the end" and was able to "do a little bit of exercise" before coming out of COVID protocol.
Given that Crosby and Dumoulin were off the ice as long as they were, the coaching staff discussed the possibility of having to manage their minutes in their first game back.
"We'll see how the game goes," Sullivan said. "These guys obviously feel strong enough and healthy enough that they're comfortable playing. And so we're excited to get them back in the lineup. We'll have to see how the game goes, but that's certainly a discussion that we've had."
This will be Sullivan's first game behind the bench since he tested positive for COVID on Nov. 4. He said that the first four or five days after testing positive were "difficult."
"It was a tough few days, I'll tell you that," he said. "But I'm feeling a lot better now. It's taken a little while to get over it. It affects everybody differently. Fortunately, I was able to overcome some of the more severe symptoms. Now it's just a matter of just getting the energy level back. But I'm grateful that I'm back. And I'm excited about doing what I love to do."
Todd Reirden spoke during Sullivan's absence about the ways in which Sullivan was staying engaged, communicating with the coaches over WebEx during intermissions of games, joining virtual meetings with players, and contributing to the film sessions with voiceovers over videos.
"I thought Todd and Mike (Vellucci) and those guys, all the coaches did a terrific job under unique and difficult circumstances," Sullivan said. "I'm excited to get to be back in person, it's not the same when you're trying to watch it from the other side of the television screen in your living room."
Sullivan's experiences watching the games from home sounded not too unlike the experiences of some fans.
"There might have been a few expletives," he said. "Those of us that are part of this Penguins organization, we care a lot. So we're all invested. The hardest part about not being a part of it is you just don't have a whole lot of control when you're in your living room. That's the worst feeling of all."
MORE FROM PREGAME
• Tristan Jarry will start for the Penguins, Vitek Vanecek will start for the Capitals.
• Goaltender Louis Domingue (who was recalled to back up Casey DeSmith in Ottawa since Jarry didn't make the trip) was re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, along with P.O Joseph, Drew O'Connor, and Juuso Riikola. Joseph and O'Connor are exempt from waivers, and Domingue and Riikola didn't need to go on waivers since they didn't play 10 games or spend 30 days on the roster since they last cleared.
• Sullivan said that he spoke with O'Connor this afternoon "at length" before O'Connor went back to Wilkes-Barre.
"He's made a strong case for himself here, solidifying a regular spot on our roster," Sullivan said of O'Connor. "And just because this decision was made today doesn't mean it's etched in stone. Certainly, he's part of the conversation, and will continue to be part of the conversation with respect to lineups. Under this circumstance, sometimes the business part of the game gets in the way a little bit, it makes decision-making more difficult from our standpoint."
• With Canada's 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers who tested positive, Sullivan said that it is his understanding that he won't be able to coach for the first game of the Penguins' Canadian road trip in Montreal. He said that he's unsure if the players like Crosby, Dumoulin, Pettersson and Ruhwedel will be permitted to travel, noting that he still has to consult with the medical staff.
• The Penguins enter this game with the league's worst power play, operating at just a 9.1 percent success rate. I asked Sullivan what his impressions were of the power play over this latest stretch, and what needs to change to get back on track.
"Well, I'd like to see them score," he said. "I thought when you look at the power play over the last couple of games, they've had a lot of pretty good looks. I thought the five-on-three last night, they didn't quite get the looks that they needed. But on the five-on-fours, they had a fair amount of real Grade-A looks and the puck didn't go in the net for them. The one with with (Jeff Carter), when that hits the crossbar, that was one of the looks. But there were a bunch of other ones, and we haven't seemed to be able to finish. I just believe in these players. I'd be more concerned I think if we weren't getting the looks, but I believe we are, and I think if we continue to get the looks, I think these guys are going to find the back of the net."
