Sidney Crosby injury Devils
(Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Crosby being evaluated for upper-body injury after Devils game collision
  • Penguins captain missed Wednesday practice after returning to Tuesday’s game
  • Read below for Crosby injury video, and latest injury updates

The Pittsburgh Penguins might be without their captain when they hit the ice at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Sidney Crosby is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after a collision in Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to New Jersey, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Wednesday.

The incident occurred in the third period when Crosby got caught between Devils forward Erik Haula and defenseman Luke Hughes. The Penguins’ star center was seen favoring his left arm as he made his way down the tunnel, though he did return to finish the game about 10 minutes later.

“We just got tangled up,” Crosby said after Tuesday’s game, downplaying the severity. But his absence from Wednesday’s practice has raised concerns, especially with fellow center Evgeni Malkin already sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Sullivan wasn’t ready to hit the panic button when asked about potentially missing both his star centers. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” the Penguins’ bench boss said. “Obviously Sid is an important guy for us, he’s a tough guy to replace. I’m stating the obvious there.”

The timing couldn’t be worse for Pittsburgh. They’re sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-24-9 record, seven points out of a wild-card spot. Crosby has been their offensive catalyst this season, leading the team with 58 points in 55 games while adding 17 goals.

The injury also puts Crosby’s participation in next week’s 4 Nations Face-Off into question. The 37-year-old was recently named Team Canada’s captain for the tournament, which kicks off February 12 in Montreal.

Pittsburgh has two games remaining before the tournament break – Friday’s tilt against the Rangers and a matchup with their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.

For a team trying to claw their way back into the playoff picture, every point matters, and losing Crosby would be a significant blow.

Crosby’s durability has been remarkable in recent years, having played full 82-game schedules in each of the past two seasons. The Penguins will be hoping their captain’s iron-man streak isn’t in jeopardy as they await further evaluation.