As if the Penguins didn't have enough to worry about in their 4-1 loss at the hands of Phoenix last night, they played the final 15 minutes of the third period without their captain, Sidney Crosby. Early in the final period, Crosby left the bench area after suffering an undisclosed injury and did not return. During the team's broadcast on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, announcer Paul Steigerwald informed us that it "was not a serious injury" but that he "would not return tonight."
"I don't even know what happened," he said after the game. "I had some discomfort. In the third period, I couldn't really do much."
Couldn't really do much would accurately describe the whole Penguins team last night, unfortunately. The once high-powered Pittsburgh offense has been limited to just four goals in its past three games, and hasn't scored more than two goals in a road game since the season opener ... which was in Sweden.
As for the injury, Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review reports this morning that the Coyotes TV crew speculated that Crosby injured his rib when he was hit with a stick from a Phoenix player. A report the Penguins, naturally, denied.
