Sidney Crosby and Tristan Jarry possible for Penguins in Game 7 versus Rangers
Anthony Scultore
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have failed to close out the New York Rangers in Games 5 and 6. They lost center Sidney Crosby midway through Game 5 after a collision with Rangers defender Jacob Trouba and goalie Tristan Jarry has been out since April 14 nursing a foot injury.
On Saturday, the Penguins and their fans rejoiced when their captain stepped on the ice for practice raising hopes he could be a possibility to play in Game 7 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
“We’ll take each day as it comes,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “I’m not going speculate at this point. They’re obviously on the ice. At this point, that’s encouraging. They’re making progress.”
Crosby and Jarry could possibly play in Game 7
The Penguins have a large list of wounded players with the status of many players as day-to-day. Whether or not any of them can go tomorrow remains to be seen, but multiple reports suggested that Crosby and Jarry looked ready for action.
Rickard Rakell (upper-body) and Brian Dumoulin (lower-body) are possible with the former looking more likely to go. Brian Boyle, who was injured on an attempted hit in the first period is still being evaluated.
Crosby return is a boost for morale
During Wednesday night’s 5-3 Rangers win over the Penguins in Game 5, Trouba made incidental contact with Crosby and knocked him out of the game in the second period.
Multiple reports said the the 34-year-old center suffered a concussion.
The referees on the ice along the Department of Player Safety did not feel the hit warranted a penalty or a suspension. Many experts determined it was incidental contact.
“At the time I didn’t know that was the play he got injured on,” Trouba admitted. “I tried going stick on puck and my stick in between his legs hitting his thigh pushing my arm up. It was a fluky play and not a massively hard contact.”
After the game, the Penguins and their media were pretty adamant that it was a dirty hit. Regardless, it appears that Crosby’s appearance at practice will have a positive impact in some way shape or form.
“It means a lot. He’s in good spirits,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s in a good place. He’s doing his very best to get himself back and ready as quickly as he can. We’ll see how that process goes. But I think anytime he’s on the ice, it’s good for our team, it’s good for our players, it’s good for our morale. That’s certainly a boost for our guys.”
NHL.com
Crosby has registered 9 points in this series. During the regular season, the three-time Stanley Cup champion had 31 goals and 53 assists in 69 games.
Jarry, 27, made the All-Star team this season posted 34-18-6 record with four shutouts, a 2.42 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
