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Sidney Crosby has broken jaw; will Penguins captain be ready for playoffs?

If this group of Pittsburgh Penguins are going to break the 17-game winning streak record set by their franchise back in 1993, then they're going to have to do so without the services of their captain Sidney Crosby.

After taking a puck to the face on Saturday afternoon during their 2-0 win over the New York Islanders, the Penguins confirmed Sunday that Crosby is out indefinitely with a broken jaw.

Here's the play again:

While the Penguins say they will have a better idea of a recovery time later this week, the Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi reports that Crosby will be ready for the playoffs, which will begin on April 30. Returning in a month's time would be quite the remarkable recovery, but we'll see what the Penguins say in a few days.

[Related: Iginla says Penguins' debut was different, exciting]

If Crosby does miss the season's final month, how would that affect the Hart Trophy race? (Maybe we jinxed Sid the Kid by titling our last Awards Watch post with "Can anyone take MVP honors away from Sidney Crosby?")

Patrick Kane has been Crosby's closest competitor for the Hart all season. The Art Ross will likely be gone if he's gone for a month, but is Crosby's 56 points in 36 games more than enough for him to hang on to the MVP award?

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

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