NHL Grab Bag: Injuries and Six Straight Goals
The Pittsburgh Penguins may be without Sidney Crosby their captain for Monday’s game versus Columbus, as the star is trying to overcome an injury to his lower-body.
Mike Sullivan the Pens coach said late Sunday that his captain was day to day after being hurt Saturday in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 loss to Carolina. Pittsburgh’s Sullivan said Crosby was hurt at some point in the third period.
Crosby, who has won the Hart Trophy twice, has only 6 goals along with 16 assists in the 32 games Pittsburgh has played. The Penguins have lost five straight and are 0-4 since Sullivan took over.
Sullivan said his captain would be evaluated on Monday and Crosby would play if he could, even though Pittsburgh will have four days rest after the game on Monday against Columbus.
Marian Hossa a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks and San Sharks forward Joel Ward missed Sunday’s game due to injuries.
Chicago said Hossa is suffering from an injury to his upper body, while the Sharks did not give a specific injury on Ward.
Hossa will be 37 in January and played 23 different shifts in Saturday’s 3-2 win in Buffalo. He played two shifts in that game during overtime.
Ward took a heavy hit on a boarding penalty by Mark Borowiecki a defenseman for Ottawa on Friday night in the final seconds of the San Jose loss.
On Sunday night, the Washington Capitals showed how much they are maturing. The Capitals were trailing the New York Rangers 3-1 starting the second period.
Washington proceeded to score 6 straight goals to win 7-3 over a struggling Rangers side.
The win was Washington’s fifth straight and puts them at 24-6-2 with 50 points tying them with the Dallas Stars for the most points in the NHL. Washington is now 8 points clear of the Rangers in the NHL Metropolitan Division.
In the comeback win over New York, 11 Washington players scored one point or more. Meanwhile, the Rangers have dropped three straight, six of their past eight overall and sit at 19-12-4.
With 50 games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Capitals know that no lead is big enough. The team knows the talent on the Rangers and knows the team from New York will return to their winnings ways.
Nevertheless, the Capitals are beginning to mature into one of hockey’s best teams. The team will be a force to contend with all season and into the postseason.
