The Penguins may be getting Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary back in their lineup sooner than just about anyone expected.
Crosby and Sheary _ both diagnosed with concussions Tuesday _ returned to practice with the team Friday morning at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
Both were full participants in the roughly hour-long session, going through contact drills in the corner and taking line rushes in their normal lineup spots.
When asked about possibly playing in Game 5 Saturday against the Capitals, Crosby said he didn't want to rule it out.
"We'll see," he said.
"It's not really up to me. You just kind of relay how you feel (to team doctors) and they kind of direct it from there."
Sheary, too, said that as long as his body responds well Saturday, he expects to be a game-time decision for Game 5. The Penguins have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.
Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Crosby's official status is still day-to-day.
"He's going through part of the process," Sullivan said. "He was in a full-contact practice today. We'll see how he responds and we go from there."
Crosby declined to explicitly say he was symptom-free four days after a cross-check from Capitals defender Matt Niskanen sent him sprawling to the ice early in Game 3 Monday night but did say he felt "probably as good as you could expect."
"I felt pretty good right on from the next day to now," Crosby said.
"They're all different. The next day you're kind of seeing how you respond, things like that. Felt pretty good, so I think it's kind of a day-by-day thing."
Crosby and Sullivan also pushed back against any idea that the team was treating Crosby's injury any different because the Penguins are in the midst of a playoff run.
Most players returning from injury generally take at least one day of practice in a non-contact jersey. Crosby _ and Sheary _ both returned immediately to full-contact status. Sullivan, though, pointed out that they skated on their own Thursday morning and had "positive results."
"We rely on our medical staff to advise us and help us make the best decision," Sullivan said. "The priority has always been on the health of our players, first and foremost and that will never change."
Crosby is no stranger to the recovery process from a concussion. He missed significant time between 2011 and 2013 with head injuries and sat out the first six games of this season with another concussion.
"I think having gone through this, I like to think I'm pretty aware of my body at this point," Crosby said. "I understand the importance of making sure you're good before you come back, and I have a lot of belief in our staff here that they're going to do everything in their power to make sure I'm good when I come back."
Sullivan, too, said he had no reservations about putting Crosby back on the ice as soon as he is medically cleared to play.
"We trust our doctors, we trust our medical team," Sullivan said. "When they tell us that he's OK, then we have confidence that Sid's good."
And while Crosby has extensive experience dealing with concussions, Sheary said this is the first one he has sustained in his career.
"It's tough," Sheary said. "Just because the symptoms you're looking for, you'r constantly looking for them. With a broken leg, broken arm, when the pain stops you know you're healed. It's a little different with a concussion. I kind of had to go through that process these last couple days."
Sheary picked up his injury running into Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist in Game 3 and was sporting some stitches on his upper lip Friday morning.
Sheary said he is "pretty much" symptom-free and was even a bit surprised how quickly he was able to return to practice. Still, he knows caution is generally the best approach when dealing with these situations.
"It's definitely an injury you don't want to rush back into, even with the magnitude of these games in playoffs," he said. "I think you get that urge to want to play. You have to make sure you take it carefully and I'll make sure to take those steps in the process here."
