Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left the ice early during Game 5 against the New York Rangers after taking a hit in the head. The incident happened with 10:45 left in the second period as he had possession of the puck and had three defenders close to him. Defenseman Jacob Trouba hit Crosby’s face with his left arm, which caused Crosby to fall. Instead of chasing the puck again, he skated toward the bench.
At that point the Penguins held a 2-0 lead. The center attempted to continue the game but then headed to the locker room with 5:43 remaining in the second period. He did not return for the third. New York rallied from behind and ended the night with a 5-3 win to avoid elimination, although the Penguins still hold a 3-2 lead in the series.
Crosby does have a long history of concussions, missing a total of 108 games from 2010 to 2012, and then six more during the 2016-17 season. However, the consequences of Wednesday’s hit are not known yet. There was no update after the game as he was still being evaluated.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was asked about the incident during the postgame press conference and if he felt Trouba did it with intent. He had little to say about it, responding in a non-concrete manner.
“Did you see the hit? You probably have the same opinion I do,” Sullivan said.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 13 at 7pm E.T. and will be available on TNT.
