Heavy Underdogs
Pittsburgh, PA – Pittsburgh, trying to get back into playoff position, can’t afford to have Sidney Crosby miss any time.
Perhaps a matchup with the New York Islanders can entice the Penguins star to play through any groin pain.
Hoping Crosby’s injury is only minor, the Penguins look to continue their success against the Islanders at Mellon Arena on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made the Penguins –285 money line favorites for Wednesday’s game against the Islanders. Current NHL Public Betting Information shows that 89% of more than 225 bets for this game have been placed on the Penguins -285.
Crosby left practice early Tuesday due to a sore groin, but is listed as probable for this game. He left a few minutes into the session, apparently only for precautionary reasons.
"Just aches and pains and concern in the groin area," interim head coach Dan Bylsma told the Penguins’ official Web site. "He warmed it up and went on the ice. It wasn’t as good as it was (Monday). We thought it would be better to continue to get some rest and get ready for (Wednesday)."
The Penguins (29-26-6) are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference after reaching the Stanley Cup finals last season, and need Crosby on the ice if they hope to reach the playoffs for the third straight year. Crosby is among the league leaders in scoring with 79 points (23 goals, 56 assists).
He’s been particularly good at home against the Islanders (18-35-6), posting six goals and 16 assists in 12 games. Pittsburgh has gone 8-2-2 in those contests, and its last meeting with New York at Mellon Arena was its best effort during that stretch.
The Penguins got three assists from Crosby in a 9-2 win over the Islanders on Dec. 11. It was Pittsburgh’s first nine-goal game since beating Philadelphia 9-4 on Feb. 7, 2001.
Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis both had a hat trick for the Penguins, who are 3-0-1 against the Islanders this season. Sykora ended the longest streak in NHL history without a hat trick by a player who had at least two goals in a game.
Previously, Sykora had 38 games with two goals without getting a third. He added an assist in his big game against the Islanders, but has been held off the scoresheet in his three other matchups with them this season.
Sykora, third on the team with 22 goals, was held without a point in Pittsburgh’s 5-2 loss to Washington on Sunday. Crosby had an assist as the Penguins fell to 2-1-1 under Bylsma, who was promoted after Michel Therrien was fired Feb. 15.
New York has stuck with Scott Gordon even though it has the league’s worst record. The Islanders have lost five straight on the road, scoring six goals in that span.
But New York is coming off an impressive win, beating New Jersey 4-0 on Saturday night after losing its previous two.
The Islanders gave up 23 goals in their previous six games, going 1-4-1.
Yann Danis made a career-high 40 saves for his first shutout since his first career start, a matchup with Atlanta on Oct. 12, 2005, when he was with Montreal.
It was the Islanders’ first shutout of the season and their first in 79 games. Rick DiPietro, out for the season with a knee injury, had New York’s last shutout, 1-0 against Tampa Bay on Feb. 21, 2008.
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Posted: 2/25/09 12:00AM ET
