Penguins captain Sidney Crosby ruled out for Game 6 vs. Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will miss Friday’s Game 6 against the New York Rangers due to an upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed.

Crosby was reportedly evaluated for a concussion after getting hit by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in Game 5. Trouba avoided supplementary discipline for the hit.

The 34-year-old skated in practice Friday morning, but was deemed unfit to play.“Sid will be evaluated when he goes back to Pittsburgh with us today. He has an upper-body injury,” Sullivan said during his media availability.

Crosby has a history of head injuries, most notably missing 108 games due to the effects of multiple concussions suffered between 2011 and 2012. He also missed six games at the start of the 2016-17 season after being diagnosed with a concussion.

Pittsburgh leads New York 3-2 and could close out the series Friday, but it would be a devastating blow to its long-term chances if Crosby is out beyond this weekend. Crosby recorded two goals and nine points in five games against the Rangers and the Penguins have controlled a whopping 77 percent share of the expected goals when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5.

Crosby’s playoff resume speaks for itself. The two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner is arguably the best playoff performer of his generation, and though he’s no longer the defining face of the league, he can swing the balance of a series in an instance.

Evgeni Malkin was slotted in to replace Crosby on his line with Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust during Friday’s practice. Malkin is as good as contingency plans come, but Crosby’s absence will have a ripple effect throughout the lineup. Can Malkin and Kris Letang engineer yet another postseason victory without Crosby? We’ll have to find out Friday night at the PPG Paints Arena.

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