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Penguins center Sidney Crosby takes a face off against the Flyers Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, at the PPG Paints Arena.
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Sidney Crosby traveling with Penguins for Western Conference swing

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Sidney Crosby traveling with Penguins for Western Conference swing

The star center is nearing a return from sports hernia surgery

The Penguins are headed West. And they’re bringing their captain with them.

Monday afternoon, the Penguins tweeted a photo of Sidney Crosby boarding the team plane, which is headed for Las Vegas. For good measure, the tweet also included a cryptic eyeball emoji for the caption.

At least for now, Crosby’s presence doesn’t mean for certain that he’ll play in any of the three road games this week. But by flying with the team for a Western Conference swing that includes games Tuesday night in Vegas, Friday in Colorado and Sunday at Arizona, he at least leaves the door open. The Penguins are also scheduled to practice Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, so if the team chooses, Crosby may also be with the team in those settings. 

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Crosby has been sidelined for weeks after undergoing sports hernia surgery on Nov. 14. The injury initially surfaced in the preseason. Even though he played through the pain the first six weeks of the season, Crosby was leading Pittsburgh with 17 points in 17 games before deciding that surgery was the best option for himself and for the team in the long term.

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When the Penguins initially announced that Crosby had undergone surgery, they estimated he’d miss a minimum of six weeks. He’s generally stayed on that timeline from what the team has shared. Thursday would mark exactly eight weeks since the surgery.

Recently, Crosby has taken several important steps in his recovery. On New Year’s Eve, he joined the rest of his Penguins teammates in a very skills-oriented practice. While that practice didn’t include line rushes, special teams drills or contact, it was significant nonetheless. After skating on his own later in the week, Crosby joined the team in a non-contact jersey on Jan. 3. He eventually traded the non-contact jersey for a regular one during some special teams drills during that practice, but he said afterward that the wardrobe change was mostly to avoid confusion on the ice.

Crosby did not travel with the Penguins during their most recent road trip to Montreal on Saturday, instead staying home to continue his rehab process in Pittsburgh.

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Typically, injured Penguins follow the same path back to the ice: skate individually, skate in a non-contact jersey at practice, skate in a full-contact practice, game-time decision. Right now, Crosby has completed the first two of those steps publicly. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has declined to publicly lay out a possible timeline for his captain’s return.

The Penguins could use the shot in the arm that Crosby will surely bring when he returns. After dealing with numerous injuries over the first half of the season, they lost All-Star winger Jake Guentzel to shoulder surgery last week. Meanwhile, center Nick Bjugstad and defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz are also still sidelined with long-term injuries of their own. 

Agozzino recalled, Di Pauli sent down

On Monday morning, the Penguins recalled forward Andrew Agozzino from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 29-year-old was recently named to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic. He leads the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in points (31) and is tied for the team lead in goals (14) and assists (17) after 35 games played. Earlier this season, the Kleinburg, Ontario native was called up by Pittsburgh and played in the Penguins’ 2-1 victory over Anaheim on October 10.

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In a corresponding move, forward Thomas Di Pauli has been re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after playing in two games, including his NHL debut. Time will tell if Agozzino makes another appearance or if the Penguins are simply bringing him on the trip for insurance in case another forward goes down.

Rookie forward Sam Lafferty was sick the last two games, opening the door for Di Pauli. If he’s healthy, the Penguins would have a decision to make. Also, if Crosby can return at some point during that trip, that would take away another open forward spot.

Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazete.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.

First Published: January 6, 2020, 8:55 p.m.

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Penguins center Sidney Crosby takes a face off against the Flyers Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, at the PPG Paints Arena.  (Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
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