Sidney Crosby Being Evaluated for an Upper-Body Injury

Mike Sullivan said on Thursday (Feb. 6) that Sidney Crosby is continuing to be evaluated for an upper-body injury sustained on Tuesday (Feb. 4) versus New Jersey.

While the Penguins practiced on one sheet of ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, the captain did an individual workout in full gear on the other. He skated with director of player development Tom Kostopoulos and skills consultant Josh Wrobel.

"Obviously, he skated on his own today. That was pre-planned," Sullivan said. "He's continuing to be evaluated (for an upper-body injury). We'll probably have more information on his status tomorrow."

Crosby had missed Wednesday's practice after what happened the night before. In the third period of that 3-2 shootout loss to the Devils, Crosby skated off and headed down the runway after a collision near the offensive blue line. It wasn’t a big hit or anything like that, but the captain got caught in an awkward spot.

“I got tangled up,” Crosby said after returning to the game after missing about 10 minutes. He played out the rest of the final frame before taking part in the shootout. But they had been relieved to see Crosby come back, as he is the heartbeat of this team, and continues to play at such an elite level.

He entered the game with goals in four straight, becoming the fourth different Penguins player with a streak that long at age 37 or older, and five of his last six. Crosby came away with a point to put him two shy of becoming the ninth player in NHL history to have 17 or more 60-point seasons.

When he was asked on Wednesday about the possibility of being without both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained Jan. 25 in Seattle, Sullivan cautioned against that particular hypothetical for the time being.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, Sid’s an important guy for us. He’s a tough guy to replace. I’m stating the obvious there.”

The Penguins used the following line rushes on Thursday without Crosby...

Anthony Beauvillier-Rickard Rakell-Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting-Cody Glass-Danton Heinen

Matt Nieto-Kevin Hayes-Phil Tomasino

Boko Imama-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari

P.O Joseph-Kris Letang

Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-David Desharnais

Rakell said he grew up playing center, and was in that position his first couple years in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, who drafted him in the first round in 2011. "It was a while ago, but I don't mind it. I think it's a lot of fun," he said. "Obviously, I think I have one way of playing center, and Sid has one way of playing center, and he's the best at it. But just going to try to play my game and not make it too complicated."

While Sullivan said Rakell in the middle is an option for the Penguins, he added, "let’s see what Sid’s status is." If Crosby is out for any length of time, "the message is the expectations haven't changed, and it's a next-man-up mindset," Sullivan said. "Guys are always looking for more ice time, want to play a more significant role – here's your opportunity. So, that's the world we live in, that's the NHL. So, when injuries occur, it provides opportunities for others.

The Penguins left after practice for a two-game road trip to New York City and Philadelphia, the annual Highmark Dads Trip. They are Pittsburgh’s last games before the two-week break, where Crosby is set to captain Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20.