It’s exactly what it looked like: Sidney Crosby is concussed, and the Penguins are in trouble.
The Pittsburgh superstar, who led his team to a commanding 2-0 lead to begin the second-round series with the Capitals and had begun to appear destined for consecutive Stanley Cups, is out indefinitely following a questionably dirty cross-check to the head during Monday’s Game 3.
Crosby has had a long history of concussions, whose symptoms linger and are difficult to quickly recover from. He’s listed as day to day, but for a frequent sufferer who missed time at the beginning of this season with a concussion, this can be lengthy. He will be out indefinitely, beginning with Wednesday’s Game 4.
“He’s very upbeat and positive,” coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday. “We’re very optimistic and hopeful we’ll have him back in a timely fashion.”
Crosby was leveled by a Matt Niskanen headshot in the first period of an eventual 3-2 overtime loss to Washington, a crushing blow that left him face-down on the ice for several moments. Niskanen received a game misconduct but will not be facing further discipline from the league, according to the Washington Post.
For the Penguins, this is a jarring loss of their best player during a series that pits the two teams with the most regular-season points against each other. Crosby had four goals and seven assists through eight postseason games this year.