Pittsburgh Review

Sidney Crosby was not present at the Pittsburgh Penguins practice on Wednesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Crosby is currently being evaluated for an upper-body injury.

"I don’t have any more specifics. Once we have more specifics, I’ll let you know," Sullivan stated regarding the status of the team's captain.

During Tuesday's game against New Jersey, Crosby left in the third period following a collision near the offensive blue line. Despite returning to finish the game and participating in the shootout, which resulted in a loss for Pittsburgh, concerns about his condition remain.

Crosby remarked on the incident saying, "I got tangled up," after missing about 10 minutes of playtime. His return was a relief for his teammates as he continues to be a vital player for the team. He entered that game with goals in four consecutive matches and was close to reaching a significant milestone—becoming only the ninth player in NHL history to achieve 17 or more 60-point seasons.

With Evgeni Malkin also sidelined due to a lower-body injury sustained on January 25, there is concern about potentially losing both key players. However, Sullivan urged caution against speculating too far ahead: "We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves," he said. "Obviously, Sid’s an important guy for us. He’s a tough guy to replace. I’m stating the obvious there."

The Penguins are scheduled for another practice session in Cranberry on Thursday before embarking on a two-game road trip to New York City and Philadelphia, coinciding with their annual Highmark Dads Trip. These games will be their last before a two-week break during which Crosby is set to lead Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off from February 12-20.