Penguins forward Sidney Crosby to be evaluated for potential head injury

NEW YORK – Penguins forward Sidney Crosby will be evaluated once his team returns to Pittsburgh on Thursday after he suffered a presumed head injury during a 5-3 road loss to the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

In the second period of the contest, Crosby was struck by a high hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba.

As a result, Crosby did not record a shift past the 13:10 mark of the middle period.

As previously planned, the Penguins opted to remain overnight in New York following Wednesday’s game and were scheduled to fly back to Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Crosby has a well-documented history with regard to head injuries, having been sidelined for 108 games during the early 2010s due to issues related to a concussion.

Sullivan declined to identify the nature of the ailment when asked specifically if Crosby had suffered a head injury. He also declined to offer an opinion on if Trouba’s hit warranted supplemental discipline and said, ‘That’s the league’s job.”

The Penguins lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Friday at PPG Paints Arena.

A potential loss of Crosby would clearly inhibit the Penguins’ chances of winning the series. Even after failing to record a point in Game 5, he still leads the team with nine points (two goals, seven assists).

“He’s a great leader,” Sullivan said via video conference on Thursday. “He’s the standard. He personifies what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. He’s not only a leader through his actions, but he’s a leader through his demeanor, and how he carries himself and he’s a voice of reason through an emotional, turbulent game. That’s what he brings to our team. He’s just a great leader, both on the ice and off the ice. I’m probably stating the obvious, but he means a lot to this organization, he means a lot to this team.”

The Penguins went 5-4-4 during the regular season while Crosby was sidelined with various ailments. Sullivan maintains confidence that the Penguins can persevere should Crosby be sidelined this postseason.

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“We have enough, we have a lot of depth at all the positions,” Sullivan said. “We believe that we have what it takes to win. We have a capable group, and this group has always had the next-man-up mentality. We’ll continue to do that moving forward here. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We’re going to take each day as it comes. But regardless of what our lineup looks like each and every night. We believe we have what it takes to win.”

Notes: Sullivan indicated injured goaltender Tristan Jarry is ‘making significant progress’ in his recovery from a right foot injury that has sidelined him since April 14. … Injured Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (undisclosed) and forward Rickard Rakell (head) each remain “day to day.”

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