Penguins star Sidney Crosby ruled out vs. Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby will miss his first game in nearly three years when he sits out a road game on Friday against the host New York Rangers.

Crosby, who is nursing an upper-body injury, missed two straight practice sessions before joining his teammates on the ice for the morning skate on Friday.

"Right now, we are just taking it one day at a time," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. "He's not going to play tonight. Obviously he's on the ice participating in the morning skate which is encouraging from our standpoint."

The Penguins will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night before taking a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They will resume play Feb. 22 against the Washington Capitals.

Crosby, 37, last missed a game on April 7, 2022, also against the Rangers, because of an illness.

The two-time Hart Trophy recipient appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after colliding with New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Erik Haula midway through the third period of Pittsburgh's 3-2 shootout loss on Tuesday.

Crosby has team-leading totals in assists (41) and points (58) in 55 games this season.

He is in his 20th season with the Penguins. He has 609 career goals and ranks ninth all-time with 1,654 points.

Also Friday, Pittsburgh recalled forward Emil Bemstrom from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Bemstrom, 25, has 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 37 games with the AHL club this season.

--Field Level Media