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Conor Sheary out 4-6 weeks with upper-body injury
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Conor Sheary will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday.
The team did not say when or how exactly he suffered the issue. Sheary played 16:52 in his team’s Tuesday win against the Nashville Predators. His last shift went from 4:35 left in the third period to 3:47 remaining and his 5:37 of ice-time in the third was on par with his period-by-period totals for the rest of the game.
This season, the 24-year-old Sheary has found a home on Sidney Crosby’s left wing, notching 17 goals and 35 points in 42 games played. On Jan. 23 he was named the NHL’s first star of the week with six goals and nine points in four games. This is the 5-foot-8 Sheary’s first full NHL season.
Last season Sheary was an important player on the Penguins’ run to the Stanley Cup with four goals and 10 points in 23 games played in the playoffs.
“That’s a tough one for us,” Sullivan said. “He’s been a real good player for us. Once again, our depth will be tested.”
Playing with Crosby has helped Sheary’s game, but The Hockey Writers points out that fitting with Crosby isn’t the easiest of tasks. Losing Sheary will hurt the top line’s consistency that it had built throughout the season. Bryan Rust has mostly been Crosby’s right winger throughout the season and the trio has a team-high 11 points this season.
Of course, Sheary’s success is directly correlated to playing with Crosby — a fact that should be taken into consideration at the negotiating table. Crosby is one of the best passers in the league and the top scoring threat in the NHL this season. That leaves Sheary open for lots of opportunities.
But to state the 24-year-old’s success is entirely predicated upon Crosby would be unfair. (Phil) Kessel played with Crosby last season and had very little success. Pittsburgh has spent years searching for a great wing to pair alongside Crosby.
While losing Sheary will sting Pittsburgh to a degree, the Penguins are in solid position for the rest of the season. They’re in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points in 49 games played, four points ahead of the fourth-place New York Rangers with a game in hand. The Penguins already had their bye-week, which means they will play a full schedule of games with Sheary out of the lineup.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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