Pittsburgh Penguins Can’t Afford Losing Crosby Again

Owners of Pittsburgh Penguinstickets have been very happy for the return of their star player after a long layoff but in another incident that struck their superstar, there could be some concerns about his health.

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Another tough break has hit Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby. The former Hart Memorial Trophy winner has not played much this season due to recurring concussion-like symptoms and in their last game against the New York Islanders on March 27, his face was hit by a puck shot by an opposing player. That incident left the Penguins captain bloodied. It happened right around the 1:43 mark of the second period when Islanders defenseman Dylan Reese was trying to clear the puck out of the lower left corner in the New York end when the unfortunate thing happened. Crosby was standing a few feet away from Reese when he got hit by the puck shot.

When Crosby got hit, he stayed down on his stomach before getting back up on his skates after a minute staying on the floor. The 24-year-old all-star skated off toward the locker room and after a few minutes returned to the bench with over 10 minutes remaining in the period. Crosby returned to the game moments later.

Crosby missed the first 20 games of the Penguins before returning on November 21. He played eight games before the same injury that made him miss the early of the season struck him again. He sat 40 more games before returning on March 15.

Even though Crosby returned shortly after the incident, there would definitely be concerns on the long term effects of the hit especially with his history of concussion-like symptoms. Crosby’s health is even more of a concern these days as they try to catch New York Rangers for the top spot in the East.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Losing to the Eastern Conference bottom-feeder Islanders twice this week certainly didn’t help Penguins’ quest for the top seed. Pittsburgh lost to the Islanders 5-3 on their home ice on March 27 before losing again, this time on the road.

Due to the crucial losses of Pittsburgh, they now trail the Rangers by five points for the first seed. With five games remaining against quality teams in the East, it would be a very tall order for the team to get the top seed. Pittsburgh is, somehow, on a skid after their 11-game winning streak was snapped on March 18 wherein the Penguins have lost four of their past seven games.

Even if the team finishes the season as the fourth seed, Pittsburgh can still make some noise in the post season especially since the team already have their key players back in the lineup. Aside from boasting the number one ranked offense in the league, Pittsburgh also has the trio of MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, and Crosby. With the three leading the charge for the Penguins, a Stanley Cup would not be a possibility for the three-time champions.

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