PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pens captain Sidney Crosby is back from the Four Nations Face-Off. His availability for a pair of games this weekend is in question.
Crosby captained Team Canada to the tournament championship, playing full in all four games including Thursday night's overtime win over Team USA. Heading into that tournament, he had missed the last two games of the Pens season with an upper-body injury and what appeared to be an issue with his elbow.
"Sid and I talked briefly on the plane coming back here this morning," said Pens and Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan said Friday afternoon. "Right now, we are probably going to make it a game-time decision. He was excused from practice today, but he is feeling good."
Before the injury, Crosby had goals in goals in five of his last seven games. Six points out of a playoff spot with most of the Eastern Conference ahead of them, the Pens play huge four-point games Saturday against the Capitals and Sunday against the Rangers.
There is optimism given the level he played in those international games that he will be able to go.
"He obviously played extremely well, as you guys witnessed," Sullivan said. "In my short conversations with him, he felt pretty good from a health standpoint where he is at. So that is encouraging."
