Sidney Crosby out for Penguins’ Game 6 vs. Rangers with Upper-Body Injury

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Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby won’t play on Friday night against the New York Rangers due to an upper-body injury. 

Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Crosby went through a skatearound with skating and skills development coach Ty Hennes, but he won’t be available for the game. 

Crosby left Pittsburgh’s 5-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoffs after taking a big hit from Jacob Trouba. 

Sullivan told reporters after the game that Crosby was being evaluated, but didn’t offer specific details about the injury. 

The Penguins hold a 3-2 series lead and can close out the Rangers with a win at home on Friday. If the Rangers win, they will host Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. 

Crosby was fantastic in the series prior to the injury. The eight-time All-Star had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the first five games against the Rangers. Pittsburgh’s offense scored seven goals in each of its Game 3 and 4 wins. 

The Penguins offense runs through Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Crosby did miss two weeks early in the season due to a positive COVID-19 test. 

Guentzel will have to take on a bigger share of the offensive burden with Crosby unavailable. Evgeni Malkin, who had two assists in Game 5, should see more time on the ice. 

Upon returning to the lineup on Nov. 14, Crosby was a consistent presence for the Penguins all season. He appeared in 69 regular-season games, tying for the team lead with 84 points and finishing second with 53 assists. 

Pittsburgh finished third in the Metropolitan Division with 103 points. The team hasn’t advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2017-18 season.