Crosby won’t rule out Game 5 return
Penguins’ star practises with teammates
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA. Sidney Crosby returned to work Friday, practising with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates barely four days removed from a frightening hit that left him with a concussion and his status for the rest of the playoffs uncertain.
While the two-time MVP declined to get into specifics about whether he’ll be available for Game 5 at Washington Saturday, he’s keeping his options open.
“We’ll see,” Crosby said. “I don’t want to rule it out. It’s not really up to me. You relay how you feel and they kind of direct you from there.”
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is in no rush to make a decision on Crosby as the defending Stanley Cup champions try to close out the Capitals.
“We’ll see how he responds (to practising) and go from there,” Sullivan said.
Still, the sight of Crosby on the ice and cleared for contact opens the possibility of Crosby playing in the near future — startling considering the way he left the ice in the first period of Game 3 Monday after getting cross-checked in the head by Washington’s Matt Niskanen.
The hit left him with his second concussion of the season and at least the fourth of his career. He needed nearly the better part of two seasons to recover from one sustained in January 2011 and missed two weeks when he was diagnosed with a concussion last October.
There’s a chance the wait may be even shorter this time for Crosby, who led the league with 44 goals and has four goals and seven assists through eight playoff games.
Crosby felt “as good as you could expect” Tuesday morning. He was around to support his teammates during their 3-2 win in Game 4 and skated in full gear during a scheduled off day Thursday before rejoining the group Friday.
“I think having gone through this, I’d like to think I’m pretty aware of my body at this point,” he said. “I understand the importance of making sure you’re good before you come back.”
Pittsburgh forward Conor Sheary, who also sustained a concussion in Game 3 after inadvertently getting checked by teammate Patric Hornqvist, also practised in full gear Friday. Like Crosby, Sheary’s status is day to day.