Sportsnet.ca -- The Pittsburgh Penguins will soon find out what life without Sidney Crosby is like. Sid the Kid is out of the line-up indefinitely with a high-ankle sprain and will undergo a MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his injury.
Crosby, who left in the first period of Pittsburgh's 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay Friday, underwent tests on Saturday. Results showed there was no fracture, but the young forward was unable to put any pressure on his ankle because of swelling.
While the MRI will give a better indication of how long the injury will keep Crosby out, it's certain the Penguins captain will miss the all-star game in Atlanta on Jan. 27. His coach, however, is more concerned with the impact Crosby's absence will have on a young Penguins squad.
"He's the best player in the league. He's our leader and guys feed off of him" said head coach Michel Therrien after the Penguins pre-game skate in Montreal. "It's not a fun thing for us to see that Sid won't be with us for the next few games. We're facing adversity and this young team has surprised a lot of people when facing adversity."
The Penguins, who are 0-2-2 lifetime without their captain, will do battle with the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre tonight. The entire team to a man says it's impossible to replace the 20-year-old star but the trickle-down effect will be huge.
"We're gonna need scoring now that he's hurt. I have to pick it up. I have a chance to play more now. There's a little more pressure to score but I'm looking forward to it," Peter Sykora said.
It is widely expected Sykora will be promoted to the top line as Evgeni Malkin will return to his natural position at centre. After starting 12 consecutive games, goaltender Ty Conklin will get the night off. After a full month between games, backup Dany Sabourin will make his Bell Centre debut.
Connected: Dany Sabourin gets the start in goal vs. Montreal. Malkin will return to his natural position at centre. Expected to play with Arsmstrong and Sykora. | Sign up for home team text alerts here.
Montreal (24-14-8) has won two straight and has lost just once in regulation in its last 10 games, posting a 7-1-2 record. Six of those wins have come on the road, where the Canadiens are an impressive 16-7-3. They're just 8-7-5 at home.
"We seem to be a lot more comfortable on the road," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "We still have a young team, and on the road you have less distractions."
The Canadiens closed out a four-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout win in Atlanta on Thursday. Cristobal Huet wasn't happy with the two goals he allowed in regulation, but stopped both Thrashers' shots in the tiebreaker.
"It was a good chance to redeem myself," Huet said. "I definitely felt I owed the team something after the two goals."
Huet is 8-1-2 with a 2.39 GAA in his 11 starts since Dec. 20. He's 3-0-0 against the Penguins in his career with a 1.46 GAA.
Montreal has won both of the teams' meeting this season in Pittsburgh. The Penguins haven't won at the Bell Centre since March 18, 2006.
-- (with AP files)
