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Sidney Crosby has been out since suffering a broken jaw on March 30 against the New York Islanders, and it looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their captain when they open the playoffs against that same Islanders team. Crosby has not been cleared by doctors to play and will miss at least Game 1 of the Penguins' opening-round playoff series. Pittsburgh earned the Eastern Conference's top seed despite not having Crosby for the last 12 games of the season. Do they need him to advance in the playoffs?

• Damastes0714: " The Penguins need Crosby to win the Cup, but I don't think they need him to win this series. They'll take their time with him. If we see him in this series its because the Pens NEED him, but I wouldn't expect him until Round 2."
• Jacob880711: " This is why shero went out and got players like Iginla, Murray, Morrow, and Jokinen. There's no need to have him rush back. The pens will be fine tonight."
• Hoss3138: " Came over here to say that the Pens will win this series without Crosby … they're that good."
• Whisky tango 333: " Man, if only the Penguins had guys like Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Jerome Iginla, Jussi Jokinen, Brendan Morrow, Kris Letang, they wouldn't need a guy like Crosby for a weak first-round playoff matchup. Oh wait."
• danthefan1004: " It's the playoffs. If Crosby was ready he'd be playing. They are not sitting him out because it's only the Islanders that they're playing. That is ridiculous."

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On the same night Jarome Iginla made his Penguins debut, the NHL's hottest team suffered a significant loss. No, it wasn't their win streak -- which is now at 15 games -- but their star player, Sidney Crosby. The league's leading scorer took a puck to the jaw and is out indefinitely after surgery. How much will his absence hurt the Penguins? And does it mean the end of their pursuit of the win streak record?

• bigbounce4321: "the hockey world is at a loss when Sidney Crosby is not on the ice. I wish him nothing more then a speedy recovery AND NO CONCUSSIONS. I really hope he is ok."
• Patrice9331: "I'm a huge Habs fan .. but I hate the idea of Crosby being injured. He is the best hockey player in the world and a true ambassador for the sport. If the Habs beat the Pens in the East Final, I want Crosby in the lineup!"
• The Noonan: "Good thing the Pens also have the second best player in the league. Lead us home, Geno."
• PPG Welder: "Haters go on and hate. Pens will likely beat your team without Crosby."
• _UnholyLivingDead_: "Pens still loaded with talent and Crosby will be back by the playoffs."

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Can the Penguins (15 straight wins) break the record of 17 straight wins with Sidney Crosby out?

•  
  58%
  Yes
•  
  42%
  No

(Total votes: 45,471)

The Penguins and superstar center Sidney Crosby have agreed to a contract worth $104.4 million over 12 years. The front-loaded deal, which takes effect for 2013-14, will average $8.7 million per season. Crosby, widely regarded as the NHL's best player, already has a Stanley Cup and a Hart Trophy as the league's MVP to his credit. But he has also sustained multiple concussions that sidelined him for the bulk of two seasons. Is it risky for the Penguins to set aside that much money for a player with a serious concussion history?

• Nondescript Observer: "Sid's talent is worth that kind of money. However, one more concussion and that contract will look like a monumental mistake."
• Kyle Kanin: "as risky as this deal looks, the kid is still the most worldwide marketable player in hockey and number 2 is not close. he also has 1 cup already. if they hit on this, it'll return as much as any athlete can, especially in hockey"
• cowboys7667: "Either way, Crosby just produced 1300 comments in an hour, he's doing something right. For everyone saying that he whines and is not any good, maybe you should go look at his stats. Plus athletes don't reach their prime til they are 27, sooo we still may have not even seen his best stuff. I am an Avs fan and am not a crosby fan at all. But, the stats don't lie, hard to argue his talent"
• Steelergal00: "Nice that he's being locked up to 36, but you would have thought the owners would have learned their lesson about overpaying players from the last time the NHL got into a financial mess..."
• sherrerd: "Does the contract come with an Ulf Samuelsson clone to protect him?"



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The first NHL preseason game is just a little more than a week away, but Sidney Crosby won't be in the lineup when the Penguins face the Red Wings in their exhibition opener. And judging by Crosby's first public comments in months, there's no way of knowing just when he will return from the concussionlike symptoms that still bother him. For all the talk of Peyton Manning, would anything hurt a league more than the NHL losing Crosby?

• "I'm a lifelong Flyers fan, and even I would like to see him return 100 percent, even if it's a detriment to the team I root for." -- SN commenter XPSANA
• "Crosby is important to the sport of hockey, true. But he'll forever remain a sad, whining, annoying gnat with his absolute refusal to simply admit that the hits he took were clean -- and that the second one was more his fault than anything else (he turned without looking into Steckyl rushing up ice)." -- SN commenter optoutman

2. Who would you pick first for a hockey game?

Depending on the outcome of a coin flip, either Eric Staal or Nicklas Lidstrom may have to answer the question that dominates hockey: Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. Now, Crosby's concussion may make it moot, but if he's good to go, who should the All-Star captain who wins the coin flip pick first? PollCenter: Crosby and head injuries.

• "Everyone says that Ovechkin is one of the best players in the NHL, but I don't think so; sure he is the best offensive, but he doesn't play defense and is dirty. when he is in a slump he starts blind siding players and doesn't get fines." -- SN commenter AwesomeKid1980

• Vote: Which team will win tonight's game? | Rank Hart Trophy candidates
• Rank 'Em: Where are the Penguins and Capitals in your NHL Power Rankings?

With apologies to our Canadians friends (and their compatriots in Minnesota, Michigan and other places where plugging in your car at night doesn't mean you've gone electric), the NHL schedule would usually find itself relegated to the shadows on a night featuring a big NBA game (Spurs at Magic), a mildly compelling college football bowl game (San Diego State vs. Navy) and anything the NFL cares to offer (even Panthers at Steelers).

But the Penguins visiting the Capitals is not your typical NHL game.

Maybe the Capitals are just beginning to emerge from a recent seven-game losing streak, and maybe Alex Ovechkin isn't scoring goals this season, but is the NHL still the best show in town when these two teams meet?

Bernie (DC)

Pierre do you think this down period for the Caps will make them strong by the end of the season? Are do you see this as a symptom of bad things to come? (For Bruce B or GMGM)

Pierre LeBrun

Bernie, in chatting with GM GM during the worst streth of the skid, that's what he truly believed. That this adversity would really help them down the road. Full transcript

Candy (Washington)

When will Ovechkin score a goal??

Barry Melrose

That's the question of the year. I never thought I'd see Ovechkin go into January with under 15 goals. Obviously this has to change for Washington. The good news is the Caps and Ovechkin have played two good games in a row. Maybe Thursday night against Pittsburgh will be the jump start that Ovechkin needs. Full transcript

• Rank 'Em: Are Ovechkin and Crosby your favorites for the Hart Trophy?
• Vote: Which teams win each first-round series? | Rank 'Em: Playoff Power Rankings
• Chat: Scott Burnside takes your playoff questions, 4 ET
• More from ESPN.com: Burnside's Caps-Canadiens preview | Penguins-Senators

The Flyers edged out the Rangers Sunday in a game between teams fighting for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, the back end of a home-and-home set that marked arguably the first and last instance of regular-season drama in the NHL. But after the marathon of often meaningless games, we're finally to the playoffs, where the handshake lines get long, the beards longer and the overtimes, if we're lucky, longest of all.

So is the NHL setting itself up for a marketing disaster?

The Olympics were great because we got the Canada-USA final everyone on this side of the Atlantic wanted. No matter how good a game it might have been, Finland-Czech Republic wouldn't have generated much buzz. So it is with the potential for a rematch between the Capitals and Penguins in the East.

On paper, Alex Ovechkin's top-seeded Caps and Sidney Crosby's fourth-seeded Penguins should meet in the second round ... except the NHL resets the pairings after each round of the playoffs, meaning even if the Penguins and Caps both win in the first round, they only meet in the second round if there are no other upsets. And at least for casual fans, Ovechkin vs. Crosby might be a bigger draw than even Lord Stanley's Cup. Pick winners.

Sam (State College)

Last year is over, and this pens team is not the same as last year. But am I the only one not freaking out? Obviously I would have loved my pens to beat nj/was, but the playoffs are a whole different story. I not saying the pens don't have concerns, but am I wrong for not jumping off a bridge like many others?

Pierre LeBrun

They have the knowledge of winning a championship and those Cup rings are very important. They bring calm and confidence to a dressing room come playoff time. But I still think Washington is the team to beat this year. Full transcript

Tim (Guam, Western Pacific Ocean)

Can the Caps actually adopt and play a defensive game come the playoffs? The scoring in buckets theory really isn't playoff hockey for most successful Cup teams.

Scott Burnside

Tim: Agreed that it's been a long time since a team played a run and gun style and won a Cup (okay, how about the Oilers anyone?), but I also think the Caps' defensive deficiencies have been a bit overstated. The first round will be a good barometer, I think, as they should cruise through whichever team they face, but it will give a good indication of whether they can tighten up when needed. I suspect they will. Full transcript

• Vote: Is Ryan Miller the NHL's biggest name after Crosby and Ovechkin?
• Rank 'Em: Where do the Penguins rank after Tuesday's 3-2 win?

There was a time when starting the day by talking about an NHL goaltender who didn't even play in his team's game the previous night might have signaled the mother of all slow news days. But this is a brave new world we live in, a world after the Olympic gold-medal game between Canada and the United States brought hockey back front and center.

All right, it's also kind of a slow day. But were Penguins fans right to save their loudest cheers for a guy on the other team and boo replays of their star's proudest moment?

Let's set the stage. Much of the NHL got back to work last night (not that SportsNation was watching), including the Penguins and Sabres playing in Pittsburgh. All reports suggest Sidney Crosby -- you know, the guy who rescued hockey in Pittsburgh and brought the city the Stanley Cup last spring -- got a nice enough welcome. But not nearly as loud and warm a welcome as Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, who was dressed but not playing after his extensive and extraordinary work for Team USA. And when Crosby's game-winning goal was replayed in the arena (twice), more than a smattering of boos followed.

So what's the call? We're going to assume the name isn't literal, but SN commenter "CrosbyIsMySon" summed up one perspective.

• "I don't think it would have mattered what city Miller was in last night. He outperformed any individual player in that tournament. He was stupendous, and my heart sank upon seeing that final goal. I even let out a few boos for Crosby that night. Even a few." CrosbyIsMySon

Scott (NYC)

Ryan Miller = thoroughbred. Can he deliver us beloved Sabres fans a Cup???

E.J. Hradek

I don't think there's any one guy that can deliver the Cup. It's too hard to go through four 7-game series. The closest thing we saw was back when J.S. Giguere had his amazing run. It's tough. Buffalo has some good pieces in place to help him. This experience has to give him some confidence. Another year or so and some of these younger guys get some more experience, maybe Buffalo can make that next step up the ladder. Full transcript