Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby continues to workout and skate with the team as the playoffs begin tonight. The Penguins kick off their first round series against Tampa Bay without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin but with the way Crosby is working out in an effort to get back from a concussion suffered back in early January, many are wondering about when he might be back on the ice.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman reports from Penguins practice that while Crosby is busy trying to prove he’s ready for full contact practice and then eventually real ice time in a game. Usual Crosby linemate Chris Kunitz says what everyone is thinking in Pittsburgh about Sid the Kid.“You know he wants to get back,” winger Chris Kunitz said. “You see he’s going out twice a day, trying to get out there. You don’t want to put too much emphasis on it, but it’s definitely nice to see him.”
While Crosby isn’t close to rejoining the Penguins for game action yet, that hasn’t stopped the Lightning from preparing for him one way or another. For Tampa Bay, coach Guy Boucher has made sure that his team is ready just on the off chance that all of Crosby’s skating and drill taking improves to the point that he’s ready to go during their series. Boucher doesn’t want to be caught off guard in case Crosby pulls a Willis Reed moment and comes back suddenly to lead the Penguins to victory.
“To me, he’s playing, period,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher told reporters in Tampa. “But we can’t say if he’s not (playing), they don’t have a great team. They’re a great team. With him, they’re an amazing team.
“We’re playing against a great or amazing team, so we have to be at our best.”
It’s wise for Boucher to be ready for anything, but for now the main thing he’ll have to have the Lightning ready for is stellar goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, staunch defensive hockey, and focusing on Jordan Staal as the focal point of any offense the Pens look to generate. Don’t expect Boucher and the Lightning to be caught off guard by what the Pens are rolling with now.
If Sid comes back though... It’s a whole new game.