Crosby Ruled Out for Game 6

Adversity is nothing new for this Penguins team, who is facing yet another huge test in that regard tonight as Sidney Crosby will not play in Game 6.

The captain, who skated on his own this morning with skills coach Ty Hennes, is out with an upper-body injury suffered in the second period of Game 5 on a high hit from defenseman Jacob Trouba.
"This isn't anything that our team isn't accustomed to," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're a deep team. We're a good hockey team. When we play the game with a collective effort and a team mindset, we believe we have what it takes to win.
During morning skate, Evgeni Malkin moved up to center the top line between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. They're a combination that has had terrific chemistry in the past, most notably in the 2019-20 season, when Crosby missed a significant amount of time after having surgery to repair a core muscle injury.
"I think his track record speaks for itself," Sullivan said of Malkin. "He's a terrific hockey player. I know how much he cares about helping this team win. I know how invested he is in the Pittsburgh Penguins. We expect him to be the player that he's been for us in my whole time here."

Evan Rodrigues slotted into the spot Malkin vacated between Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen. The third line of Jason Zucker, Jeff Carter and Brock McGinn remained the same, while Drew O'Connor - who made his NHL playoff debut in Game 2 - skated on the fourth line in Rodrigues' spot with Brian Boyle and Teddy Blueger.
Then finally, although Rickard Rakell didn't take rushes, Sullivan said the winger will be a game-time decision tonight. He hasn't played since leaving in the first period of Game 1 after a high hit from Ryan Lindgren.
"It's a great opportunity for guys to step up and play more significant roles and contribute in other ways to help the team win," Sullivan said. "I think our players are excited about it, and they've shown an ability to rise to the occasion. We've done it for a lot of this year."
Rodrigues in particular is someone who has shined whenever he's moved into an elevated role, and he said those experiences can bring him confidence tonight.
"When you try to change the way you play and try to change your game when you get bumped up the lineup, I think that's when you get in trouble, if you try to be too cute and stuff like that," said Rodrigues, who had a three-point effort in Game 3.
"I'm gonna go try to make my mark on this game, but at the same time, just kind of do what I've been doing the first five games, and just playing the way I know I can play."

In addition to moving from right wing on the fourth line to center on the second line, Rodrigues will likely also slot in on the first power-play unit, where he collected seven of his 19 goals on the season.
"One of the reasons why we signed E-Rod was just because of his versatility and our ability to move him up and down the lineup depending on what the needs of the team are," Sullivan said. "He certainly fulfilled that for us this year and then some. He's had a real solid year for us."
Brian Dumoulin, who has not played since Game 1 with a lower-body injury, was the only other player who did not take part in morning skate. The Penguins stuck with the same D-pairs they've been using in his absence:
Matheson-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Friedman-Ruhwedel
Zohorna rotated in on a fourth D-pair with Beaulieu.
All three goalies on the roster - Louis Domingue, Alex D'Orio and Tristan Jarry - all practiced today. Jarry,
who has been out since April 15
with a lower-body injury, was full capacity but will not dress for tonight's game.
When asked if there was any thought of having Jarry back up tonight or if he's just not ready yet, Sullivan said when everybody feels comfortable that their All-Star netminder is ready to play, then they will certainly put him in the lineup.
"We've had all those conversations behind the scenes with our medical staff and our coaching staff," Sullivan said. "We're trying to put players in positions to be successful. We understand how important he is to our team. And so, we're trying to make decisions accordingly that's best for the team and best for Tristan."