Penguins’ Sidney Crosby out for key Game 6; Caps’ Tom Wilson remains sidelined

During Wednesday night’s 5-3 Rangers win over the Penguins to stay alive in Game 5, Trouba made incidental contact with Crosby and knocked him out of the game in the second period.

“At the time I didn’t know that was the play he got injured on,” Trouba admitted. “I tried going stick on puck and my stick in between his legs hitting his thigh pushing my arm up. It was a fluky play and not a massively hard contact.”

The referees on the ice along the Department of Player Safety saw it the same way. No penalty was assessed and no further discipline warranted.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on the other hand strongly disagreed.

“Did you see the hit? Then you probably have the same opinion I do,” he said afterwards.

The Penguins currently hold a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven first round series against the New York Rangers. If they can’t close it out on Friday night, the scene will shift back to Madison Square Garden for a decisive Game 7.

Crosby, 34, has 2 goals and 7 assists in the series.

Tom Wilson remains sidelined

The Washington Capitals are hoping to stave off elimination at home as they take on the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

They will have to do so without power forward Tom Wilson.

Wilson, 28, had a big regular season with 52 points (24 goals, 28 assists) and scored a key goal in Game 1 before exiting with a lower-body injury.

He did not return for the second period after a hit from Panthers’ blue-liner MacKenzie Weeger.