Penguins" Crosby Might Play Against the Rangers CANONSBURG, Pa. - Sidney Crosby will not make his long-awaited return from concussion and neck injuries in Sunday's nationally televised matinee against the Boston Bruins, he said Saturday. That means Crosby may return in Pittsburgh's next game, at Madison Square Garden on Thursday against the Rangers. "No, not playing tomorrow," Crosby said after the Penguins practiced Saturday. Crosby stayed on the ice some 20 minutes after the team's light practice ended to work on individual skills with other players sidelined by or just back from injuries. But he did not take body contact, as he did in two practices in the preceding week. "The good thing is we've got a good chunk of practices here next week," Crosby said. We'll see how that goes, and hopefully, it's soon. Asked if that meant the Rangers on Thursday, Crosby said, "That's soon, so we'll see." Crosby was greeted by enthusiastic applause from roughly 200 fans, mostly children, who came to the Penguins" practice rink here Saturday morning. He was preceded onto the ice by Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma, who doffed his cap with a flourish and pointed it toward Crosby, as if to introduce the Penguins captain to the crowd. But, Crosby said afterward, by then he had already decided not to play against the Bruins. He has not experienced any setbacks, he confirmed; rather, he wants more practice time to make sure he is ready. "I still think I need to get to another level as far as the extent of the physicality out there," he said. Making sure I'm ready to play the way I need to and be well tested is what's most important. So hopefully we'll get that in the next couple of days. Crosby has missed 59 games in two long stretches this season with lingering concussion problems. He last played Dec. 5, against the Bruins, when he seemed to be hurt in a relatively benign collision with David Krejci. He sat out again after that game, and doctors ultimately diagnosed a soft-tissue injury in his neck that had not been detected before. That suggested that the neck injury could have been behind Crosby's lingering spatial problems and other concussion symptoms, first caused by hits to his head in games on Jan. 1 and Jan. 5 in 2011. Those two hits sidelined him for the remained of last season and the start of this one. He finally came back, symptom free, on Nov. 21 against the Islanders and scored two goals and two assists. He played eight games, scoring 2 goals and 10 assists, before the symptoms returned after the Krejci collision. Crosby was cleared for contact Tuesday and aimed to come back for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh at the earliest. But, he said, one practice was canceled and a couple of others were simple morning skates, so more preparation was needed. "This is something you don't want to mess around with," Crosby said. Especially at this time of year when it's even more physical than ever. If CrosbyreturnsThursday, it willbe against a Rangers team that leads the N.H.L. in hits by a wide margin. Asked if he missed experiencing body contact, Crosby quipped that he missed "giving a hit, not taking a hit." But then he became more reflective. "Once you're involved in contact, you just kind of get used to it; it becomes an everyday thing," Crosby said. But when it's gone, you realize how different the game is. Bylsma said Crosby was "doing really well this week."He added that after a couple of practices on off-days between Sunday and Thursday, "we'll see how things progress, and hopefully he does well." If Crosby does not return on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, the Penguins" next games are at New Jersey Saturday and Philadelphia Sunday. The Penguins have not missed Crosby that much. They have won 20 of their last 25 games, including their last 8in a row, andclose the gap on the East-leading but stumbling Rangers to 4 points. "Any game is exciting," Crosby said when asked if it would be special to come back against the Rangers. A game like that, you're focused on making sure you're that much more ready. This isn't the time to go out there and just feel your way around. These are important games.