The New York Rangers may avoid facing longtime rival Sidney Crosby when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan revealed Thursday that Crosby is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury he sustained during Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. While the team practiced at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Crosby worked out individually in full gear on a separate rink.
Set to captain Team Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20, Crosby also missed Wednesday’s practice.
“He skated on his own today, which was planned,” Sullivan said Thursday. “He’s still being evaluated, and we should have more information on his status tomorrow.”
Rickard Rakell, typically Crosby’s left wing, took over as the top-line center in practice Thursday.
“It’s an option for us,” Sullivan said regarding Rakell filling in at center if Crosby is unavailable. “We’ll see what Sid’s status is.”
Crosby’s absence would be a relief for the Rangers, as he has historically dominated them with 108 points (40 goals, 68 assists) in 87 regular-season matchups—his third-highest total against any team, behind the Islanders (136 points in 89 games) and Flyers (133 points in 88 games). However, he has yet to record a point against the Rangers this season, with New York winning both previous meetings: a 6-0 victory in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9 and a 4-2 win at MSG on Dec. 6.
Sidney Crosby doesn’t practice, could miss game vs. Rangers
Sidney Crosby exited briefly during the third period against the Devils after a collision near New Jersey’s blue line but returned after about 10 minutes. He finished the game, including overtime, and was denied by goalie Nico Daws in the shootout.
The 37-year-old, in his 20th NHL season, leads the Penguins with 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) in 55 games. Although his four-game goal streak ended in the loss, an assist extended his point streak to five games. He is just two points away from becoming the ninth player in NHL history to record 17 or more 60-point seasons. Crosby, who signed a two-year extension in September, is also on pace to be the first player to average over a point per game in 20 seasons, a feat only he and Wayne Gretzky have accomplished for 19 seasons.
Selected first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, Crosby ranks second in Penguins history in goals (609) and points (1,584), trailing only Mario Lemieux (690 goals, 1,723 points). He holds the franchise record for assists (1,045), surpassing Lemieux (1,033) on Dec. 29 with a helper on a Michael Bunting goal against the Islanders.
Crosby has an extensive list of accolades, including two Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer (2006-07, 2013-14), two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the top goal-scorer (2009-10, 2016-17), three Ted Lindsay Awards as the NHLPA’s most outstanding player (2006-07, 2012-13, 2013-14), two Hart Trophies as league MVP (2006-07, 2013-14), and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP (2015-16, 2016-17).
During his first 17 seasons, Pittsburgh made the playoffs 16 times, winning Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016, and 2017. However, the team has missed the postseason the past two years and is trending in the same direction this season.
With Evgeni Malkin already sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained on Jan. 25 in Seattle, coach Mike Sullivan remained measured when asked about potentially losing Crosby as well.
“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.”
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