BREAKING NEWS: Sidney Crosby will be back in Game 2 tonight against the Islanders. Sidney Crosby was absent 2 nights ago during Game 1 of the Pittsburgh Penguins series against the N.Y Islanders. Sustaining a jaw injury a month ago in a regular season game against the N.Y Islanders many were wondering if Crosby would make an appearance on ice during the first round of the Stanley Cup play offs. Crosby had been skating with the team since early last week but had not been released by the medical staff to play, until now. The Penguins, after Game 1’s shutout performance, are not aching to have their Team Captain back but he is ready and will be on the ice tonight in Game 2. As recent as yesterday, Crosby did not have a time table from doctors regarding his return to the game but here are some reasons why Crosby wants to get back in the action:
Crosby was leading the league in
scoring when he was injured and was a strong contender for the Art Ross Trophy.
This award goes to the player that leads the league in regular points at the
end of the regular season. Even though he was sidelined for the last month of
the regular season his goal count was impressive at 56, just 4 less than the
winner of the Art Ross Trophy 2013, Martin St. Louis from Tampa Bay with 60
goals for the regular season. Although he missed out on that honor due to
injury, it has been mentioned that he is in the running for the Hart Trophy.
But, for a team that continues to win consistently without Crosby, it seems
unlikely that he will win this honor. As
he missed a quarter of the season, his absence could significantly hurt his
chances, although he was unanimously a favorite before he left.
The Penguins will not necessarily
need Crosby back in the line up to win in the first round series against the
Islanders, who are struggling and could not even score in Game 1 on
Wednesday. Eventually the Penguins will
need Crosby and hopefully he will still be in good playing condition then. The
Penguins would be able to make it past the first round without him, but it is
good to see that Crosby will be back tonight.
It will be interesting to see the game unfold tonight with Crosby. A telling sign that Crosby was soon to hit the
ice in the first round was a sighting of his dad at practice on Thursday. Tonight’s game will be the first game he has
played since his injury on March 30. Crosby was nominated for the teams Bill Masterton award, an award given to the player that best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. After coming back strong from two injuries earlier in the season, concussion and neck injury, he is a great candidate and one of the greatest hockey players.
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