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Sidney Crosby out watch, Pittsburgh Penguins reshuffle top-six for Thursday vs Devils, PP1 reps up for grabs
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby’s injury has the Pittsburgh Penguins scrambling for Thursday vs the New Jersey Devils, and the top-six suddenly feels thin.
If Crosby can’t go, there’s no real “replace him” button, just damage control.
This is still a team sitting 29-15-12, so the stakes are loud coming out of the Olympic break.
Crosby has 27-32-59 and is currently listed OUT, which tells you how serious the cloud is right now.
The Penguins already know his absence changes matchups, faceoffs, and who gets hunted on the backcheck.
The first move feels obvious, Evgeni Malkin takes the hard minutes and you hope the puck follows him.
Then you start sliding wingers around, trying to keep one real scoring line intact while you patch the rest.
If Pittsburgh wants to swing bigger, Ben Kindel is the name that keeps popping up in the “what if” lane.
Kindel is 18, drafted in 2025, Round 1, 11th overall by the Penguins, and he’s already had nights where his legs change the whole pace.
Sidney Crosby absence tests Pittsburgh Penguins identity
As a fan, this is the kind of week that makes you stare at the lineup card and sigh before the puck even drops.
The man advantage also takes a hit, because Crosby is the calm hand that keeps the puck off the wall pressure.
If Kindel gets that look, the trade-off is clear, more speed and risk, less certainty and detail.
If they go safer, you lean on depth centers like Connor Dewar for structure, not magic.
Either way, Thursday against New Jersey is a measuring stick game, not just two points on the schedule.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Sidney Crosby breaks silence on injury after Team Canada 2-1 overtime gold medal loss
Sidney Crosby breaks silence on injury after Team Canada 2-1 overtime gold medal loss