Penguins C Crosby misses practice

Feb 27, 2009 - 1:29 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- One day after missing his team's 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was absent from Thursday's practice.

The All-Star center has been nursing a sore groin which he suffered during Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. Crosby's status for Friday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks is unknown.

"I just took a rest and we'll see (Friday) how I feel," Crosby said. "When you're dealing with a groin, you have to be cautious. I hope that it goes away soon."

"My understanding is that it's day-to-day," Penguins interim head coach Dan Bylsma said. "We'll keep evaluating it day to day. He'll get treatment tonight. We'll come to the rink and he'll get treatment (Friday). We'll see how he is. We're going forward. I don't have anything more than that."

The NHL's second-leading scorer behind teammate Evgeni Malkin, Crosby is now considered day-to-day.

The only other game Crosby has missed this season came against Anaheim on January 16, when he was out of the lineup due to an illness.