Penguins' Sidney Crosby out vs. Flyers, 4 Nations decision in his own hands

Sidney Crosby remained out of action for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters the Penguins captain would miss the cross-state battle against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Meanwhile, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the decision to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off will be in Crosby's hands.

"The Penguins have said that this is his call," Friedman continued on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. "Obviously, Sidney Crosby being who he is and what he's done for this franchise, they have said, 'If you want to play in this, it's your decision and we will support it.'"

Crosby hit the ice again on Saturday morning for practice after sitting out the Penguins’ 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday. 

Friedman added that Crosby's decision rests on whether he believes he will be able to play to the standard he sets for himself.

"He does have a certain expectation for himself and he wants to believe that he can be at or near that level before he commits."

Friedman also wonders if the Canadian captain may choose to sit out the first game, but slot in later on in the tournament.

"Even if he doesn't play the first game against Sweden, their second game isn't for a week, so with seven days, could he play Games 2 and 3 for Canada? I think for him, that potential situation has been discussed."

Pittsburgh had pre-planned for him to skate by himself on Thursday, and he was also seen at morning practice with the team ahead of their game on Friday.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion suffered an upper-body injury during the third period of Wednesday’s shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils, casting doubt over his availability for the event set to begin on Feb. 12 in Montreal.