He didn’t look bad on a line with Steve Sullivan and Cal O’Reilly, even though he was playing out of position.

He added a nice dimension to the No. 2 power play, as well, even though the second unit isn’t exactly his natural habitat.

But being heavily involved in the practice at the Bell Centre didn’t mean that Sidney Crosby will be in the lineup when the Penguins face Montreal tonight.

He won’t.

Doesn’t indicate that he has taken a significant step toward getting back in uniform, either.

He hasn’t.

Doesn’t mean anything, really, except that Crosby preferred to have some company when he skated.

With center Jordan Staal and defenseman Simon Despres, both of whom are recovering from knee injuries, having received medical permission to resuming practicing with their teammates, Crosby faced the prospect of working out on his own unless he went on the ice for the whole-group workout.

“He would have been lonely all by himself,” coach Dan Bylsma said, smiling.

That’s a feeling Crosby will have soon enough.

Although he might go on the ice with his teammates for at least part of their game-day skate today, he anticipates being by himself for workouts after the Penguins return home.

“When I go back to Pittsburgh, I’ll be skating by myself again,” he said. “It’s getting tough doing that all the time. I miss being out there with the guys. … Hopefully, things keep going well and I’m back with those guys, sooner than later, in practices and games.”

There has been a growing sense of optimism over the past week — basically, since it was confirmed that his latest medical issue is a soft-tissue problem in his neck — that Crosby’s return, while hardly imminent, has gone far beyond mere wishful thinking.

There certainly is no target date for that to happen, however, and there are major hurdles to clear before it even is considered. Like finally shaking the concussion-like symptoms that have dogged him since early December.

“I’m not quite symptom-free,” Crosby said. “As soon as I am, hopefully, I’ll be out there. That’s where I want to be.”

During Monday’s workout, Crosby filled in for injured right winger Tyler Kennedy on the line with Sullivan and O’Reilly.

Bylsma said Kennedy returned to Pittsburgh to have the apparent leg/knee/ankle/foot injury he got late in the 5-2 loss Sunday at New Jersey evaluated, and that the Penguins expect to have a sense of how seriously he is hurt within 24 to 48 hours.

Kennedy certainly won’t play against the Canadiens, and unless the Penguins make a personnel move, Colin McDonald is the logical candidate to inherit his spot in the lineup.

That Crosby will sit out the Montreal game has nothing to do with conditioning or having the edge on his game dulled by his extended layoff. Watch him handle and shoot the puck, and he looks as if he’s ready to perform at the rarefied level he has reached throughout his career.

“He always looks good when he has his gear on,” Bylsma said. “He’s an exceptional talent, so anytime he gets on the ice, you see that.”

Something no one should expect to see for a while is how his neck will hold up under contact. Although Crosby wore a standard-issue black jersey and the same color helmet (white) as all of his teammates Monday, he still does not have clearance to hit or be hit.

Crosby received an injection last week to reduce some inflammation in his neck — “It was a one-time thing,” he said. “I’m not going every day and getting a needle, or anything like that” — and said his ongoing treatments consist of “soft-tissue stuff” such as massage and ultrasound.

All of his care, he added, can be handled locally.

That care, he said, appears to be moving him toward where he wants to be — back in uniform — even though he still isn’t guessing when that might happen.

“I feel like I’m getting there,” Crosby said. “I don’t know the time frame. I wish I did, but I don’t. The good news is, seeing some [progress].

“With this stuff, that’s always what you’re looking for. I feel like I’ve gotten better here the last week or so, and hopefully it continues the same way.”

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208551-61.stm?cmpid=penguins.xml#ixzz1lhb4eN7J