Crosby will continue to be evaluated after leaving in third with injury

Sidney Crosby left in the third period of a 3-2 shootout victory Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that the captain was still being evaluated after the game. The team is off on Sunday. Sullivan said he expects to have more information by Monday.

Asked what the Penguins will be missing if Crosby is out any length of time, his linemate Jake Guentzel summed it up by saying, “Obviously, ‘the best player in the world.”

“If he’s out, it’s going to take everyone to step up,” Guentzel said. “We’ll have to see what happens.”

The injury is the latest for a club that has dealt with more than its fair share of medical misfortune. Should he miss any time, Crosby would be the seventh forward to be injured this season. Currently, the Penguins are playing without winger Patric Hornqvist and defenseman Kris Letang. Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad, Alex Galchenyuk and Jared McCann also have missed multiple games previously before rejoining the lineup.

Yet, in the face of adversity, the Penguins (10-6-1) have forged an identity and continued to march on. Saturday was another example.

Without Crosby, the Penguins found the tying goal to force overtime and then won the game in a shootout, when McCann beat Corey Crawford and Matt Murray stuffed Alex DeBrincat.

“You certainly find out about your depth out of necessity,” Sullivan said. “I think guys have stepped up that we’ve put in the lineup and they’ve done a terrific job, whether it’s our roster players who are playing a more significant role. A guy like Jared McCann comes to mind that we had on the wing. We bump him into center and he doesn’t miss a beat.”