Game day: Maple Leafs at Penguins
PPG PAINTS ARENA
FACEOFF: 7 p.m. TV: CBC/Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050
NEED TO KNOW
No Sid: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had core muscle surgery Thursday and is expected to miss six weeks, or about 18 games. Crosby, the Penguins’ scoring leader (heading into Friday’s game in New Jersey) with five goals and 12 assists, had missed only 19 games over the past six seasons. “I don’t think the guys are deflated by any stretch,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Obviously, (Crosby) is a critically important player for us. He’s not an easy guy to replace with everything that he does … No one person is going to pick up that slack.”
Short-handed: The Penguins are also without defenceman Kris Letang and forward Patric Hornqvist, both with unspecified lower-body injuries.
Fire brigade: The Penguins’ player of the game is awarded a firefighter’s helmet. A real one. It has burn marks and the smell of smoke still faintly emanates from it. The helmet came from Engine House 4 on Forbes Avenue in Uptown, a five-minute walk from PPG Paints Arena. The idea was Crosby’s.
UP NEXT
Tuesday at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.