Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was ruled out of Friday night's 3-2 win over the New York Rangers because of an upper-body injury.
On Tuesday night, Crosby collided with Luke Hughes and Erik Haula of the New Jersey Devils. He missed several shifts but returned for the final minutes of regulation and overtime. He also had an attempt in the Penguins' shootout loss.
Crosby, 37, skated on his own Thursday and took part in an optional Penguins practice at Madison Square Garden on Friday morning. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan called that "encouraging," but cautioned that the Penguins were "taking it one day at a time" with their captain.
This is the first game Crosby missed in the 2024-25 season. He leads the Penguins with 58 points (17 goals and 41 assists) in 55 games. He played in all 82 games in the previous two seasons.
Pittsburgh faces the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday before entering a 13-day break for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby was one of the first players named to the Team Canada roster for that tournament.
The Penguins are eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. On Friday night, they were also without star center Evgeni Malkin, who is on injured reserve and considered "week-to-week" with a lower-body injury.
Sullivan said the Penguins are in a "next-man-up mindset" with Crosby and Malkin out.
"Guys are always looking for more ice time, want to play a more significant role. Here's your opportunity. That's the world we live in. That's the NHL," he said. "When injuries occur, it provides opportunities for others. I think players need to look at it like that."
