Penguins captain and leading scorer Sidney Crosby will return to the lineup tonight against Carolina at Mellon Arena.

Crosby missed Saturday's overtime loss to Chicago because of a sore groin. He participated in the team's morning skate today and said the two days' rest left him pain-free and ready to play.

Crosby leads the team and is among the NHL leaders with 36 points.

In addition, defenseman Alex Goligoski and winger Chris Kunitz, who are out with undisclosed injuries, skated with their teammates for the first time since being injured but are not ready to play.

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