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Penguins hope to have Crosby against Islanders

Nov 24, 2006 - 2:37 PM Pittsburgh (10-7-3) at Ny Islanders (10-7-3) 2:00 pm EST

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins clearly are a different team without Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins hope to have Crosby back on the ice Friday when they visit the surging New York Islanders.

Pittsburgh's leading scorer, Crosby suffered a groin injury in the third period of Monday's 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The 19-year-old superstar did not play in the Penguins' 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

Mark Recchi picked up the offensive slack in Crosby's absence, scoring a pair of goals, including the game-tying power-play tally late in the third period Wednesday. Star rookie Evgeni Malkin also scored for Pittsburgh, which has dropped seven of its last 10 games.

Crosby has dominated the Islanders throughout his brief career, collecting six goals and 11 assists in nine games. He hopes to return Friday against a New York club which has gone 4-1-1 over its last six games, including a 4-2 triumph over Carolina on Wednesday.

Jason Blake and Alexei Yashin each had a goal and an assist Wednesday for the Islanders, who outshot the Hurricanes, 48-15.