Crosby has soft tissue damage in neck

Hockey Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has a soft tissue injury in his neck, but an independent specialist found no evidence of a past or present neck fracture, the team said Tuesday.

The news came after Crosby visited a spinal trauma doctor in Philadelphia along with his agent, Pat Brisson, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and team CEO David Morehouse.

Crosby hasn't played since December 5 because of concussion-like symptoms and was diagnosed over the weekend with a neck injury by a doctor in Los Angeles.

That physician, Dr. Robert Bray, treated the former NHL MVP with an injection to alleviate swelling in the C1-2 joint of his neck and will be overseeing his progress with therapists, the Penguins said.

The specialist Crosby saw in Philadelphia, Dr. Alexander Vaccaro, said the soft tissue damage in his neck could be causing neurological symptoms.

The symptoms of such an injury are similar to those of a concussion, doctors said. The Penguins said doctors believe Crosby is safe, that his injury is treatable and that he will return to playing when he is symptom-free.

Crosby, 24, missed more than 10 months after suffering a concussion last January and only returned to action November 21. In eight games this season, he has two goals and 12 points.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.