The Pittsburgh Penguins saw two players return to practice on Tuesday, along with the rest of the team, except for those still at the Olympics.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were back at practice on Tuesday after almost two full weeks off.
They last played on Feb. 5 against the Buffalo Sabres and have been off since Feb. 6 due to the NHL's Olympic break rules. Tuesday's practice saw the return of two players, defenseman Kris Letang and forward Filip Hallander. Both players were in full-contact jerseys.
Letang missed the last four games before the Olympic break with a fractured foot. He last played on Jan. 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks and has three goals and 25 points in 50 games.
He was a full participant during practice and looked very comfortable in each drill. He was also skating really well and was paired with his usual defense partner, Brett Kulak. Letang told reporters after practice that he expects to play next Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. It's the Penguins' first game after the Olympic break.
Hallander was also a full participant in practice. He has been out since November due to a blood clot, but has been skating on his own before practices for the last few weeks. He's now back at practice and is closing in on a return.
Hallander was paired with Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes on the top line during drills. Hayes is filling in for Sidney Crosby, who is playing for Team Canada at the Olympics, while Hallander is filling in for Rickard Rakell, who is representing Team Sweden.
Hallander last played on Nov. 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a 4-3 loss for the Penguins. The Penguins had a 3-0 lead through two periods against the Leafs and needed to finish them off in the third, but collapsed. Hallander has one goal and four points in 13 games this season.
He might get a conditioning assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once the team deems him ready to play.
Tuesday's practice lasted over an hour, and, as always, it was high-spirited and competitive. The vibes were also through the roof, which shouldn't surprise anyone considering where the Penguins are in the standings.
They'll enter next Thursday's game in second place in the Metropolitan Division and will have two games to close out February before their brutal March schedule starts.
Here's a look at the full lines for Tuesday's practice:
Forwards
Hayes-Hallander-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Kulak-Letang
Wotherspoon-Shea
Solovyov-Clifton
Ryan Graves was skating on an extra pair. Erik Karlsson is usually with Parker Wotherspoon, but like Rakell, is representing Sweden at the Olympics.
Sweden faces Latvia on Tuesday, and the winner will play the United States in the quarterfinals at 3:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Stuart Skinner was the primary goaltender for practice since Arturs Silovs is with Latvia.
The Penguins will return to practice on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. They'll also practice on Thursday and Friday before taking an off day on Saturday.
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