LAS VEGAS -- Sidney Crosby will sit out his 26th consecutive game when the Penguins face the Golden Knights tonight at 10:08 at T-Mobile Arena.
Whether his games-missed total will make it to 28 -- or even 27 -- isn't clear.
When Mike Sullivan was asked after his team's game-day skate if it is "conceivable" that Crosby will play on this trip, which will include games in Denver Friday and Glendale, Ariz. Sunday, he responded that "anything is conceivable."
"We're just trying to take each day as it comes and make the best decisions to allow for the rehab process to take place," Sullivan said. "And when Sid's ready to play, we'll insert him into the lineup."
Precisely what criteria must be met for Crosby to rejoin the lineup hasn't been spelled out. At least not publicly.
"It's him working with the medical staff and being comfortable and confident that he can be at his best," Sullivan said.
Crosby went on the ice today with two other injured players, defenseman Justin Schultz and center Nick Bjugstad for 45 minutes before the Penguins' game-day skate, then joined his teammates for the skate.
Some gratuitous Crosby video, even though there’s no real interest in the guy. #dkps #penguins pic.twitter.com/F6ZABrp3jB
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPGH) January 7, 2020
He even stayed on after the skate concluded for some extra work, as did defenseman Kris Letang and Kevin Czuczman, forward Joseph Blandisi and goalie Matt Murray.
Sullivan said Crosby did that double duty "just to get him sufficient workload that he needs to prepare."
How Crosby felt about any of this isn't known, because the Penguins did not make him available to speak with reporters, saying that he still is going through the rehabilitation process from his Nov. 14 surgery to repair a sports hernia.
His co-workers, though, seem convinced that Crosby's game won't suffer much because of the time he's missed.
"He's going to be fine," Zach Aston-Reese said. "He's going to pick up right where he left off."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Sullivan said that Schultz, who will miss his ninth game in a row tonight because of an unspecified lower-body injury, returned to the ice Monday, when he skated on his own.
• The Golden Knights enter the game tonight with a four-game winning streak and an 8-2-1 record in their past 11. "They're a real good team," Sullivan said. "They have a lot of balance. They're a four-line team. They have a lot of skill. Their power play is top-10 in the league. They're one of the better teams in the league. They have a complete game."
• Tristan Jarry was the first goaltender off the ice at the game-day skate. He is expected to face Marc-Andre Fleury of the Golden Knights.
• Forward Sam Lafferty, who missed the past two games because of illness -- he said a fever and sore throat were his primary symptoms -- made is through the game-day skate with no apparent difficulty and said he'll be ready to play tonight. "I feel a lot better," he said. "Ready to go."
• Here were the Penguins' personnel combinations at the game-day skate:
Dominik Kahun -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Dominik Simon -- Jared McCann -- Patric Hornqvist
Zach Aston-Reese -- Teddy Blueger -- Brandon Tanev
Alex Galchenyuk -- Andrew Agozzino/Joseph Blandisi -- Sam Lafferty
Jack Johnson -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino
Juuso Riikola -- Chad Ruhwedel
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