Penguins' Crosby remains out with concussion

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby remains bothered by a concussion and will not resume practicing or playing until he is symptom-free.

Crosby was held out of the pregame skate before the Penguins' Saturday night contest against Minnesota, the second straight game he has missed. The NHL's leading scorer also isn't expected to play Monday against Boston or Wednesday at Montreal.

Crosby absorbed a blind side hit to the head from the Capitals' David Steckel during the Winter Classic outdoor game on Jan. 1, but initially felt only neck soreness. He began feeling worse Wednesday, but played that night against Tampa Bay and was driven into the boards headfirst by the Lightning's Victor Hedman.

"You're hit a lot in hockey, and you have neck soreness. That's pretty typical," Crosby said Saturday. "Wednesday when it started to get more in my head and I felt a little off, that's when I saw the red flag."

Crosby finished that game and flew to Montreal with the team that night. When his condition did not improve, he returned to Pittsburgh on Thursday for further tests.

Crosby said his condition is about the same as it was Wednesday. He believes this is his first concussion.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said Crosby would not have played Wednesday if there had been any hint he had a concussion.

"There isn't a person who we would put on the ice that has concussion symptoms. We were acutely aware of those symptoms and dealing with our doctors," Bylsma said. "He did not go into the Tampa Bay game with any symptoms that we felt were concussion-related."

Bylsma initially said Crosby would be out about a week, but that could change.

"It's one of those things where everyone heals and reacts differently," Crosby said. "It's just one of those things you have to wait out. It's not as easy as a break or something where they really give you a (reliable) time frame. There are certain steps you take, and it's obviously a pretty sensitive issue. You always want to make sure you take your time, and hopefully things are better sooner than later."

Crosby has only one point since Dec. 28, an assist on Wednesday, but still has an NHL-leading 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists).