NBC has been touting its national game today as a showdown between Penguins center Sidney Crosby and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
At least one of those players might not be able to accommodate the network -- or help his team as it tries to win successive games for the first time since a six-game winning streak Nov. 1-15.
Crosby, who missed the 3-1 win Friday against Anaheim with what is believed to be a left knee injury, practiced with the team at Mellon Arena yesterday. He said he likely will use the pregame warm-up today as a barometer to determine whether he can play.
"We'll see [today] and go day by day," he said. "I'm just kind of on the fence right now."
He said he experienced a little swelling after he was on the ice for 20 minutes Friday during the Penguins' morning skate and wants to see how the injury responds from yesterday to today."Sidney looked not bad," coach Michel Therrien said. "We're going to have to be cautious."
Crosby was injured late in the 6-3 loss Wednesday against Washington when he collided with Capitals forward David Steckel and did not skate Thursday.
Crosby entered last night second in the NHL with 59 points.
Scuderi, Letang practice
Crosby was one of nine regulars who missed the Anaheim game. Two others besides Crosby, defensemen Rob Scuderi and Kris Letang, will be game-time decisions today.
Scuderi, who got hit in the right upper face with a shot against Washington and missed the Anaheim game, and Letang, who left the Anaheim game Friday night with an undisclosed injury, practiced.
When he returns, Scuderi will wear a protective visor attached to his helmet.
"I'm not a big fan of the half-shield -- it's kind of weird if you haven't played with it before -- but it's so sore that I don't want to catch an elbow or some of the minor contact that happens in front of nets and stuff," said Scuderi, who, before yesterday, was fifth in the league with 110 blocked shots.
"So I'm going to play with a half-shield and, hopefully, get through practices and games without touching it for a while."
He has stitches above his eyebrow, with puffiness and dark bruising above and below his eye, which is heavily bloodshot.
Still, he said his vision has been clear since swelling subsided enough Friday for him to open the eye. Pain and minor headaches persist.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, who left the Anaheim game with an unspecified injury, did not practice. Neither did winger Pascal Dupuis (believed to be groin), although he was part of a group who skated earlier with conditioning coach Mike Kadar.
Expected to be out for a more extended period of time are defenseman Sergei Gonchar (shoulder) and forwards Ruslan Fedotenko (hand), Max Talbot (upper body) and Mike Zigomanis (shoulder).
Slap shots
The Penguins are 0-5 in day games this season and have been outscored, 23-10, in those games. ... Forward Chris Minard will switch his uniform number to 14 so newly acquired goaltender Mathieu Garon can wear No. 32. ...The team will wear its throwback blue third jerseys today. ...
At least one of those players might not be able to accommodate the network -- or help his team as it tries to win successive games for the first time since a six-game winning streak Nov. 1-15.
Crosby, who missed the 3-1 win Friday against Anaheim with what is believed to be a left knee injury, practiced with the team at Mellon Arena yesterday. He said he likely will use the pregame warm-up today as a barometer to determine whether he can play.
"We'll see [today] and go day by day," he said. "I'm just kind of on the fence right now."
He said he experienced a little swelling after he was on the ice for 20 minutes Friday during the Penguins' morning skate and wants to see how the injury responds from yesterday to today."Sidney looked not bad," coach Michel Therrien said. "We're going to have to be cautious."
Crosby was injured late in the 6-3 loss Wednesday against Washington when he collided with Capitals forward David Steckel and did not skate Thursday.
Crosby entered last night second in the NHL with 59 points.
Scuderi, Letang practice
Crosby was one of nine regulars who missed the Anaheim game. Two others besides Crosby, defensemen Rob Scuderi and Kris Letang, will be game-time decisions today.
Scuderi, who got hit in the right upper face with a shot against Washington and missed the Anaheim game, and Letang, who left the Anaheim game Friday night with an undisclosed injury, practiced.
When he returns, Scuderi will wear a protective visor attached to his helmet.
"I'm not a big fan of the half-shield -- it's kind of weird if you haven't played with it before -- but it's so sore that I don't want to catch an elbow or some of the minor contact that happens in front of nets and stuff," said Scuderi, who, before yesterday, was fifth in the league with 110 blocked shots.
"So I'm going to play with a half-shield and, hopefully, get through practices and games without touching it for a while."
He has stitches above his eyebrow, with puffiness and dark bruising above and below his eye, which is heavily bloodshot.
Still, he said his vision has been clear since swelling subsided enough Friday for him to open the eye. Pain and minor headaches persist.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, who left the Anaheim game with an unspecified injury, did not practice. Neither did winger Pascal Dupuis (believed to be groin), although he was part of a group who skated earlier with conditioning coach Mike Kadar.
Expected to be out for a more extended period of time are defenseman Sergei Gonchar (shoulder) and forwards Ruslan Fedotenko (hand), Max Talbot (upper body) and Mike Zigomanis (shoulder).
Slap shots
The Penguins are 0-5 in day games this season and have been outscored, 23-10, in those games. ... Forward Chris Minard will switch his uniform number to 14 so newly acquired goaltender Mathieu Garon can wear No. 32. ...The team will wear its throwback blue third jerseys today. ...
