Sidney Crosby's Status For Tonight's Penguins Game Has Been Revealed

The Pittsburgh Penguins will unfortunately not have Sidney Crosby in the lineup Friday when the team faces a very crucial matchup against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Elliotte Friedman reports.

The Penguins are desperately trying to remain on the edge of the Eastern Conference wild-card race but are seven points behind, and their opponents have games in hand. Having Crosby out of the lineup will not help at all.

On Tuesday, Crosby was involved in a strange collision with a pair of New Jersey Devils players, with his arm caught between them during the Penguins 3-2 shootout loss.

Crosby was hunched over and immediately left the ice but did return to the game. He missed practice Wednesday and skated mostly by himself Thursday before ending his practice before the rest of the team came out onto the ice.

Crosby has been the team's best offensive contributor. He has 17 goals and 58 points in 55 games this season. As depth scoring has been a major issue, Crosby's line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust has really carried the scoring.

In Crosby's absence, Rakell will likely center the top line. There's also no timetable on Crosby's status, as fans and coaches hold their breath until more information gets revealed.

The team is also without second-line center Evgeni Malkin, who is out week-to-week and on injured reserve, as the team's depth truly gets tested.

The Penguins have a back-to-back set of games against division rivals this weekend, beginning in New York and ending Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.