Sidney Crosby skates off in pain in the third period on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena
When Sidney Crosby exited the Penguins' game against the Devils early in the third period on Tuesday, things looked bleak.
Crosby collided awkwardly, first with Luke Hughes on his right side then Erik Haula on his left. He fell to the ground and was down on the ice for a moment before standing up under his own power, hunched over, and appearing to favor his left arm and visibly wincing in pain. He hustled to the Penguins' bench and went down the tunnel so quickly that he was almost running:
Sidney Crosby has gone to the Pens locker room after colliding with Luke Hughes and Erik Haula pic.twitter.com/8ThWlkFuMm
Crosby remained in the locker room for around eight minutes of game time, long enough for Kevin Hayes to score the tying goal. And just as the penultimate TV timeout was set to begin, Crosby emerged from the locker room to a loud ovation from the crowd. He skated around during the break, and was back in his regular spot on the top line for the next shift. Nothing seemed amiss with Crosby for the remainder of the game, and he took part in the shooting, getting stopped in the second round.
Crosby was in the locker room afterward, and said he "just got tangled up" in that moment. Asked if the issue was his elbow, he reiterated, "I got tangled up."
Nothing abnormal there -- Crosby is never one to elaborate on those kinds of injury-related matters. If one doesn't want to take his word for it, the fact that he was even available postgame to speak was an encouraging sign. Often if a player actually is dealing with an injury, he won't be in the locker room when the room opens to media, as he'll be in one of the back rooms with the medical staff getting treatment. That wasn't the case here.
The Penguins' playoff hopes are waning, and losing Crosby for any amount of time, especially with Evgeni Malkin already out week-to-week, would have likely been the nail in the coffin. But thankfully for the team, Crosby seems to be OK.
"That's not an easy loss," Mike Sullivan said of Crosby's absence. "He means so much to this team in so many ways. He's the heartbeat of the group. I thought the guys competed hard, and Hayes gets a real nice four-on-four goal. I thought it gave the bench a boost, and then we get Sid back. But it's never an easy thing when he leaves the bench. That's for sure."
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
4:44 am - 02.05.2025UptownCrosby OK after collision
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Sidney Crosby skates off in pain in the third period on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena
When Sidney Crosby exited the Penguins' game against the Devils early in the third period on Tuesday, things looked bleak.
Crosby collided awkwardly, first with Luke Hughes on his right side then Erik Haula on his left. He fell to the ground and was down on the ice for a moment before standing up under his own power, hunched over, and appearing to favor his left arm and visibly wincing in pain. He hustled to the Penguins' bench and went down the tunnel so quickly that he was almost running:
Crosby remained in the locker room for around eight minutes of game time, long enough for Kevin Hayes to score the tying goal. And just as the penultimate TV timeout was set to begin, Crosby emerged from the locker room to a loud ovation from the crowd. He skated around during the break, and was back in his regular spot on the top line for the next shift. Nothing seemed amiss with Crosby for the remainder of the game, and he took part in the shooting, getting stopped in the second round.
Crosby was in the locker room afterward, and said he "just got tangled up" in that moment. Asked if the issue was his elbow, he reiterated, "I got tangled up."
Nothing abnormal there -- Crosby is never one to elaborate on those kinds of injury-related matters. If one doesn't want to take his word for it, the fact that he was even available postgame to speak was an encouraging sign. Often if a player actually is dealing with an injury, he won't be in the locker room when the room opens to media, as he'll be in one of the back rooms with the medical staff getting treatment. That wasn't the case here.
The Penguins' playoff hopes are waning, and losing Crosby for any amount of time, especially with Evgeni Malkin already out week-to-week, would have likely been the nail in the coffin. But thankfully for the team, Crosby seems to be OK.
"That's not an easy loss," Mike Sullivan said of Crosby's absence. "He means so much to this team in so many ways. He's the heartbeat of the group. I thought the guys competed hard, and Hayes gets a real nice four-on-four goal. I thought it gave the bench a boost, and then we get Sid back. But it's never an easy thing when he leaves the bench. That's for sure."
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