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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been without Kris Letang for each of the last three games — two of them losses — but the key veteran could return to the lineup as soon as Sunday night's tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Letang was a full participant in Saturday's practice and is an option for Sunday, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed. The bench boss said the team will see how the 37-year-old recovers from the skate before a final decision is made.
“I felt pretty good today,” Letang said afterwards, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby. “It was my first time out there with people, so I was able to stress it a little bit more. So, felt pretty good. … I've had that injury many times, so kind of knew what to expect.”
Letang took line rushes on the top pair on Saturday along with Owen Pickering. The Montreal, Quebec native leads Pittsburgh's blue line with seven goals in 34 contests. He's also chipped in nine assists for 16 points in his 19th National Hockey League season.
Although his production is down in 2024-25, Letang remains a key piece of the Penguins' defensive unit, and his return will be a welcome sight for Pittsburgh fans.
Whether or not Letang is ready to return Sunday night in Raleigh, the Pens will be looking to right the ship after a trying couple of weeks.
Penguins looking to get back on track vs. Hurricanes
After a strong stretch between mid-November and mid-December, Pittsburgh has lost four times in six tries dating back to December 21. That has dropped the club back to .500 at 17-17-6, good enough for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
As of Saturday, the Penguins are tied with the Ottawa Senators for the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference. The squad was defeated 3-2 in a shootout by the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
“I thought we played extremely hard. It was another really good hockey game,” Sullivan said afterwards, per NHL.com's George Richards. “We had a lot of good opportunities to score, I loved our compete level down the stretch. We got one with the goalie pulled on the power play at the end. I just love the compete of this group right now, I love the intentions. We’re trying to play the game the right way.”
The Pens were able to salvage a point in the loss, but lost forward Philip Tomasino, who is being evaluated for a lower-body injury he sustained in the third period of the defeat. After being acquired from the Nashville Predators on November 25, he's managed four goals and seven points in 16 games.
Pittsburgh will hope both that Tomasino's injury doesn't sideline the forward long-term, and that Letang will be ready to return on the road in Raleigh on Sunday night.
Puck is set to drop between the Metropolitan Division rivals just past 6:00 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center.
