"Asked about the amount of contact he has had in practice the past few weeks, Sidney Crosby smiled.

"Uh, three hits?" he said, then laughed.

At least the Penguins captain is keeping his spirits up as he continues to work his way back from a concussion that has kept him out of games since Jan. 5.

After yet another practice with no real hitting Monday at Southpointe, Crosby ruled himself out of the team's upcoming West Coast games, Thursday at San Jose and Saturday at Los Angeles.

He said he needs to practice more consistently and get hit more. That has been difficult because of the Penguins' hectic schedule, but opportunities would seem to be here finally."