The Pittsburgh Penguins might need to play without their star captain.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left during the second period of Game 5 after taking a hit from New York Rangers' Jacob Trouba.
Crosby did not return and will continue to be evaluated before Game 6. In the meantime, the Penguins will need to fill the role of their star center.
Penguins winger Jake Guentzel spoke after the game, saying the team will miss Crosby if he is absent for an extended period of time, but Pittsburgh has other weapons to deploy if needed.
"We have plenty of leaders on this team that do a lot," Guentzel said. "We never want to see a player like that leave, but we have to find a way... He's the best player in the world. That's a lot of minutes different guys have to take up. We just have to stick with. We've been through injuries a lot. We've been through times when guys have been out. For us, it's next man up."
Evgeni Malkin will step into the top-line at center without Crosby on the ice.
"Geno's a superstar player," Guentzel said. "We get a chance to play with those guys, it's a unique opportunity."
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