"4 nations Canada is cooked" "Scared of Rempe": NHL fans react as Penguins provide big update on Sidney Crosby's availability against Rangers

Sidney Crosby suffered an upper-body injury earlier this week and was considered day-to-day. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of their captain for at least one more game. He's been officially ruled out ahead of tonight's matchup against the Rangers.

This is a fairly significant injury for a team clinging to playoff hopes that are getting slimmer every day. It could also be an impactful injury for Canada as they prepare for the 4 Nations Face-Off this month. NHL fans had their say on the matter, with many fearing the worst for the longtime Penguins superstar:

"Scared of Rempe," one fan said.

"Is he healing up so he can play at 4 Nations? Or is the injury even worse?" one asked.

"The Penguins currently trail the Detroit Red Wings by eight points for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference," another noted.

"4 Nations Canada is cooked," another said.

"He is getting traded, better protect him," one suggested.

"Too bad. Rather have Sid in these games," another added.

The New York Rangers, tonight's opponent, are ahead of the Penguins in the wild-card race. New York and Pittsburgh both trail the Detroit Red Wings, but the Rangers are three points up on the Penguins, so this game could have repercussions on the playoff race.

However, at 22-24-9 and seventh in the Metropolitan, Pittsburgh is in dire straits already. Losing Crosby was the last thing the Pens wanted, as they need consistently good hockey, good luck and a string of wins to have a shot at making the playoffs.

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Sidney Crosby, Penguins coach address injury

For the time being, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be without Sidney Crosby as they try to make one final push before the NHL trade deadline. They are, according to coach Mike Sullivan, taking this one day at a time.

Sidney Crosby is out tonight (Imagn)

Crosby said he got "tangled up" in the game when he went down against the New Jersey Devils, and he refused to expound on that. Via NHL.com, Sullivan said yesterday:

"Obviously, he skated on his own today. That was preplanned. He's continuing to be evaluated. We'll probably have more information on his status tomorrow."

Today, the team knows he's not going to play tonight. It's the penultimate game before the break, so the Penguins could just be exercising caution. They face the Philadelphia Flyers to close the book on the first half tomorrow night.