CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Sidney Crosby skated Thursday, but missed a second straight practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins because of an upper-body injury.
The 37-year-old center went through a tip drill and the rest of his normal pre-practice routine before leaving for the auxiliary rink at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. He worked there alone while his teammates practiced on the main sheet.
"Obviously, he skated on his own today. That was preplanned," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's continuing to be evaluated. We'll probably have more information on his status tomorrow."
Crosby was involved in a collision with New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Erik Haula midway through the third period of a 3-2 shootout loss Tuesday, seeming to favor his left arm. He returned after several minutes and took part in the shootout.
"I just got tangled up," Crosby said after that game.
When asked to clarify if it could have been his elbow, Crosby repeated, "I got tangled up."
If Crosby is unable to play against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Friday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NHLN, MSG, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS), Rickard Rakell could move up to first-line center.
Rakell practiced in that spot Thursday; he had been left wing on the top line with Crosby.
"I grew up playing center and my first, I want to say, couple years in the NHL, I played center. But yeah, it was a while ago. I don't mind it," he said. "I think I have one way of playing center and then, Sid has one way of playing center and is the best at it. But I'm just going to try to play my game and not make it too complicated."
Rakell, who will play for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, is second on the Penguins with 46 points and leads them with 24 goals.
Set to be captain of Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20, Crosby leads the Penguins with 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) in 55 games. He extended his point streak to five games (seven points; four goals, three assists) with an assist Tuesday, but his goal streak ended at four.
From Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Crosby won the gold medal with Canada at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship in North Dakota and Minnesota, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2015 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. He was captain when Canada won the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto.
"I think, when you get on those teams, there's so many great leaders," Crosby said on Jan. 31. "I think, for me, just having the opportunity to play for Team Canada, be part of this group, it's been a long time. So, regardless of who's wearing the letters, I think (there are) a lot of great leaders. Just really happy to be able to play for Team Canada again."
Crosby has not missed a game since April 7, 2022, when he was out for a 3-0 loss to the Rangers because of an illness.
The Penguins are already without second-line center Evgeni Malkin, who has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury.
"The message is the expectations haven't changed and it's a next-man-up mindset," Sullivan said. "Guys are always looking for more ice time, want to play a more significant role, here's your opportunity. So, that's the world we live in. That's the NHL. So, when injuries occur, it provides opportunities for others. I think players need to look at it like that. So, the players that will be put into positions, maybe playing more significant roles than they otherwise would be, and they have an opportunity to make an impact. So, it's a huge opportunity for guys in those types of situations."
The Penguins (22-24-9) are eight points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. They have missed the playoffs the past two seasons after qualifying each of the previous 16.
In his 20th NHL season, Crosby has averaged at least a point per game in each of his first 19, tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. He has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
Crosby won the Hart Trophy as League MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader twice (2006-07; 2013-14). He had an NHL career-high 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists) in 2006-07, and had 104 points (36 goals, 68 assists) in 2013-14.
"It's not going to be easy, losing our top two forwards," Rakell said. "But it's an opportunity for us other guys to just take that opportunity and do the best we can with it."
