Crosby Misses Practice, Undergoes Evaluation For Upper-Body Injury

 

Sidney Crosby left last night's game against the New Jersey Devils in the third period after an awkward collision near the offensive blue line, though he returned to the ice after several minutes and appeared to be no worse for wear. However, the Penguins captain was absent from this morning's practice, raising concerns about his condition. Head Coach Mike Sullivan later announced that Crosby would be evaluated for an upper-body injury, leaving his status uncertain.

Crosby is set to be the Team Canada captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off from February 12-20 and leads the Pittsburgh Penguins with 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) in 55 games so far this season. During Tuesday's game against the Devils, Crosby extended his point streak to five games (seven points; four goals, three assists) when he picked up an assist, but his goal streak was put to an end at four.

The Penguins are, unfortunately, already without Evgeni Malkin, who sustained a lower-body injury and missed the past four games. During today's practice, Malkin skated on an individual basis.

Last night after the game, Crosby stated, "I just got tangled up."

He then repeated, "I got tangled up," when he was asked to clarify if it could have been his elbow.

The forward got involved in a collision with both defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Erik Haula, who just returned for the Devils after missing 12 games with an ankle injury, midway through the final frame of a 3-2 shootout loss, seeming to favor his left arm. After several minutes, he returned to the ice and took part in the shootout.

Sidney Crosby has gone to the Pens locker room after colliding with Luke Hughes and Erik Haula pic.twitter.com/8ThWlkFuMm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 5, 2025

Mike Sullivan on potentially playing without Crosby and Malkin, and if they do have to go without Sidney, what does it say about the character of the team: "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Obviously, Sid is an important guy for us, he's a tough guy to replace. I'm stating the obvious there," - "Listen, we're going to put the best group on the ice that we have available to us. The guys that are in the lineup each and every night, provide a great opportunity to help the Penguins have success, and that's the way we look at it. It's a next-man-up mindset, so regardless of what our injury situation looks like, that's always the approach we've taken, and I think players embrace the challenge."

Sidney Crosby's potential absence puts the Penguins' depth up to the test. The team has shown resilience in the past when key players have been sidelined, and they will need to draw on that experience as they await updates on Crosby's condition. The Penguins' next game is at the Madison Square Garden on Friday, February 7th.