No Crosby, no win for Pens

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

The Penguins lost Sidney Crosby, then lost first place in the East.

Led by an offense than can rally from a three-goal deficit to win one night then storm to a three-goal lead the next, the Flyers are now the ones rolling atop the conference.

Danny Briere, Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell each scored to lift the first-place Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Crosby-less Penguins on Thursday night.

The win gave the Flyers 37 points — enough to leapfrog Florida and the Penguins (36 points) and prove an offseason of major change is paying off.

“We had a good start to the season and now we just keep on winning games,” said Flyers star Claude Giroux.

Crosby missed the first of two games as a precaution following a collision with teammate Chris Kunitz in Monday night’s loss to Boston. Doctors told Crosby there was no indication he sustained another concussion. The 24-year-old was sidelined for more than 10 months this year because of concussion-like symptoms. He could skate on Friday.

James Neal and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh, who surely could have used Crosby and his game-changing playmaking.

The Flyers built a 3-0 lead and held on a night after they rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat Buffalo in overtime.

The Penguins aren’t concerned that Crosby will miss much more than two games following his latest hard hit. The 2007 MVP has two goals and 10 assists in eight games since his return. He could be available when the Penguins host Detroit next Tuesday.

The Penguins will re-evaluate Crosby over the next few days. Crosby visited with his medical team on Wednesday and underwent testing that ruled out a concussion.

“He’s having [Thursday] off and anticipates working out [today],” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “That’s where he’s at right now.”