Sidney Crosby, each team’s captain, returned to the ice on Thursday and skated on his own for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Tuesday.
But the 37-year-old only appeared alongside his teammates at practice for a few minutes before moving into his solo work, NHL.com’s Wes Crosby reported.
Head coach Mike Sullivan said after practice that the solo skate was pre-planned.
“He’s continuing to be evaluated. We’ll probably have more information on his status tomorrow,” Sullivan said.
The Penguins superstar incurred the ailment in the third period of Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils after colliding with Luke Hughes and Erik Haula. Crosby skated to the bench favouring his left arm/hand and missed a few shifts but returned after being examined in the locker room.
Crosby played the final minutes of regulation and overtime and participated in the shootout. Asked afterward about the injury, Crosby said he simply got “tangled up” and did not get into specifics.
Sullivan did not speculate on whether Crosby would miss any time, saying “let’s not get ahead of ourselves” when asked Wednesday if there’s a chance the team could be forced to play without Crosby.
The Penguins play the New York Rangers on Friday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Canadians open play against Sweden on Feb. 12 in Montreal.
–with files from The Associated Press
