CBS sports
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left the ice early Wednesday in Game 5 against the New York Rangers after suffering a blow to the head courtesy of defenseman Jacob Trouba. He missed most of the second period and all of the third period in the Penguins’ defeat.
According to Newsday’s Andrew Gross, Crosby was absent from the team’s morning skating session ahead of Game 6 on Friday.
A day earlier, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced that Crosby had been diagnosed with an upper body injury.
The incident happened at 10:45 of the second period when Crosby had possession of the puck and three defenders were near him. Defense attorney Jacob Trouba hit Crosby in the face with his left arm, causing Crosby to fall. Instead of chasing the puck again, he ran toward the bench.
At this point, the Penguins were leading 2-0. The center tried to resume play but then went into the dressing room at 5:43 in the second period. He didn’t come back for the third time.
New York rebounded from behind to end the night with a 5-3 win to avoid elimination, though the Penguins still hold a 3-2 lead in the series.
Crosby has a long history of concussions. He missed a total of 108 games from 2010 to 2012, and six more in the 2016/17 season. However, the consequences of Wednesday’s goal are not yet known.
Sullivan was asked during the post-game press conference about the incident and if he thought Trouba did it on purpose. He had little to say and answered in an imprecise manner.
“Did you see the hit? You probably agree with me,” Sullivan said.