Coach Mike Sullivan did not offer a firm prognosis Tuesday for Sidney Crosby.
Just an upbeat perspective on how long Crosby's concussion will prevent him from playing.
"We're very optimistic," Sullivan said. "We're hopeful we'll get him back in a timely fashion."
Perhaps, but Crosby won't return in time for Game 4 of the Penguins' second-round playoff series against Washington at 7:38 p.m. Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena.
Sullivan announced that Crosby will sit out that game, and "we'll evaluate him day-to-day from there."
The Penguins also will be without winger Conor Sheary, who was concussed when teammate Patric Hornqvist ran into him in Game 3. He skated on his own before an optional practice Tuesday, but there is no timetable for his return.
Crosby, whose concussion is at least his third in the NHL and his second in 2016-17, was injured when Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen became the latest opponent to treat his head like a pinata, cross-checking him at 5:24 of the first period in Washington's 3-2 overtime victory Monday.
Niskanen received a major penalty and game misconduct but was not subjected to supplemental discipline by the league.
Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who triggered the sequence when he struck Crosby in the head at the same time his right leg was knocking Crosby's left leg out from under him, was not penalized.
Crosby bent awkwardly at the left knee as Niskanen was cross-checking him, but Sullivan said that part of his body was not injured.
Crosby visited the practice facility Tuesday, and teammates _ none of whom possess medical degrees _ who talked to him seemed cautiously optimistic that his absence won't drag on indefinitely.
"He seems good," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said.
Despite the Game 3 loss, in which they rallied for two late goals to force overtime, the Penguins have a 2-1 lead and home-ice advantage in the series.
However, if Crosby is sidelined for much more than Wednesday's game, their margin for error will slip to somewhere between negligible and nonexistent.
They already are missing their No. 1 defenseman, Kris Letang, and the guy who was supposed to be their No. 1 goalie, Matt Murray. Remove another major piece _ one many regard as the best player in the world _ and it's fair to ask whether the jenga tower that is their playoff run can remain standing.
If the Penguins are to reach the Eastern Conference final, continued strong goaltending by Fleury and winning the special-teams battle _ something they lost, emphatically, Monday _ will be imperative. So will getting tangible contributions from high-profile forwards such as Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
Sullivan was noncommittal about the makeup of his lineup for Game 4. Although center Carter Rowney and winger Scott Wilson appeared to be the leading candidates to play, center Oskar Sundqvist and winger Josh Archibald were recalled Tuesday from the Penguins' minor league team in Wilkes-Barre.
The latter two had been part of the "Black Aces" contingent that was to join the Penguins after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's season ended Sunday.
How Sullivan will configure his forward lines with Crosby and Sheary missing remains to be seen, and he offered no hints Tuesday.
Crosby's concussion last fall accounted for six of the 286 man-games the Penguins lost during the regular season. Despite having to overhaul the lineup on a regular basis, they finished with the league's second-best record, 50-21-11.
"Whoever gets put in a new situation, they seem to step up their game," left winger Carl Hagelin said. "That's what everyone's going to need to do now.
"Throughout the year, we had a lot of injuries and found ways to win games. That's our plan here in Game 4."
