PITTSBURGH — Before making the quick flight from Pittsburgh to Columbus for their preseason finale, the Penguins got a boost Saturday morning when Sidney Crosby skated with his teammates for the first time since undergoing wrist surgery Sept. 8.
After he got in another individual workout at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, the captain stuck around as rest of the Penguins took the ice. The excitement among the players was palpable as they buzzed around for about a half hour.
"It was great to see him back. It's exciting for us to be out there skating with him and having him back in the group," Jeff Carter said. "He's been around but nobody has been on the ice with him yet. So I guess it's a good step for him."
Crosby has been skating on his own throughout training camp and in recent days was cleared to use both hands on his stick. Practicing in a team setting was the next step in his recovery. And he sure looked like Sidney Crosby on Saturday.
His powerful legs are ready for game action and hands aren't far behind. At one point, he cruised down the right wing and whizzed an against-the-grain shot that hit the crossbar behind Casey DeSmith and dropped into the net. On a 2-on-1 rush moments later, he flicked a perfect saucer pass on his backhand.
As the morning skate wound down, Crosby briefly stood at center ice and chatted with coach Mike Sullivan. The two shared a hearty laugh about something.
"It's great for our team when he's back on the ice," Sullivan said. "I think our team had a jump in its step. He just has that influence on the group. Everybody's excited that he's getting closer. We're obviously thrilled he's back with the team."
Sullivan expects Crosby, who had the surgery to hopefully repair a nagging injury to his left wrist, to join the Penguins on their two-game road trip to Florida to open the season so he can practice with the team. Expecting him to play in either of those games may be ambitious. But he could be back soon thereafter.
"He is on schedule and it does indicate progress. ... We're real encouraged with the progress that he's made," Sullivan said. "I think you guys got a chance to see where he's at. He's in terrific shape. He's been working really hard with [skills development coach] Ty Hennes behind the scenes with what he can do."
Aston-Reese cleared
Crosby wasn't the only Penguins forward to return to a team practice setting. Zach Aston-Reese is cleared to practice after a recent bout with COVID. He took part in Saturday's morning skate after getting back on the ice on an individual basis Friday.
Sullivan said it's now a matter of getting the winger back in game shape.
"I had a discussion with Zach after practice. He felt much better [Saturday] than he did [Friday], which is real encouraging. But we'll monitor him every day and we'll continue to progress him to a return-to-play point," Sullivan said. "A lot of it's going to do with how Zach responds to the workload that we give him."
Jake Guentzel remains sidelined with COVID-19 but should also return soon.
"He continues to be asymptomatic. So that's real positive from our standpoint," Sullivan said. "But he's still in the protocol. There's no change there."
Angello on waivers
The Penguins on Saturday placed forward Anthony Angello on waivers. Angello during the preseason was in the mix for one of the final roster spots.
Angello, listed at 6-5 and 210 pounds, had five hits in Thursday's preseason loss in Detroit. But Drew O'Connor and Dominik Simon have outplayed him in camp and the preseason. And the return of Aston-Reese is on the horizon. So it appears Angello will be sent down to the American Hockey League if he clears.
Getting to know you
While with the Los Angeles Kings, Carter was in the same division as Danton Heinen for parts of the previous two seasons. Now they are linemates here.
"He's fit in well. He's a bigger guy that moves well. He's got a lot of skill — I think probably more skill than people realize. It's been good," Carter said. "[Bryan Rust is] kind of that workhorse on our line and Heinen kind of follows him and gets into the dirty areas. It's been good. We've still got a ways to go, though."
Around the boards
Mike Matheson participated in Saturday's morning skate after leaving Friday's practice with a lower-body injury. ... Juuso Riikola and Michael Chaput went unclaimed on waivers and have been assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. ... Jason Zucker filled Guentzel's spot on the top power-play unit Saturday.
