Unsettling update on Sidney Crosby following exit from Game 5

When the third period of Game 5 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers started and Sidney Crosby was not on the bench, it was clear the update was not going to be good.

Not only did the Penguins lose 5-3, but also managed to play the remainder of Game 5 without their captain.

That’s because Crosby left the contest in the second period, going down the tunnel with one of the team’s athletic trainers.
Crosby took a hard hit from Jacob Trouba with 10:45 remaining in the second period. He fell to the ice, popped up and went to the bench. He played two more shifts before going to the dressing room with 5:43 remaining.

Once Crosby left, the Rangers took a 3-2 lead in just a few minutes. Were they waiting for Sid to leave all this time? Crosby didn’t play the final 6:50 of the 2nd period and wasn’t on the bench during the goal scoring mayhem.

Though Crosby’s usual linemate Jake Guentzel answered for his captain, tying up the game at 3 with his second goal of the game, with less than two minutes to go, the Rangers took part the lead in the third period and got the win to push the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 on Friday.

At the start of the third period, the Penguins had not provided an update on Crosby’s status. After the game, this is what head coach Mike Sullivan had to say about his captain.

“No [updates], he is being evaluated right now.”

That’s not good if he is still getting evaluated hours after the hit… Not sure this is reassuring for the Penguins and their fans.

When asked about the hit, Sullivan kept it short, but not that sweet: "Did you see the hit? You probably have the same opinion I do."

The Penguins now lead the Round 1 series 3-2 with Game 6 set to take place in Pittsburgh on Friday. As you saw from the team’s update, we don’t know if Crosby will be in the lineup Friday. He was caught walking out of MSG with his head down after his team's loss.