It didn't take long for Kris Letang to return and prove his worth to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
PITTSBURGH - It’s been an emotional two months for one of the Pittsburgh Penguins more beloved veterans.
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang not only worked his way back from another stroke in early December, but then suffered a lower-body injury before heading home to Montreal to be with family following the death of his father.
Even after returning to the team following his personal leave to head to Montreal, Letang still wasn’t fully ready to return to game action.
Letang finally worked his way back in against the Florida Panthers and his impact was felt immediately and in a huge way.
The Penguins and Panthers combined for 13 goals and nearly 90 shots and Letang factored in with a pair of tallies and assists including the game winning goal in overtime.
Letang said before the game that he was excited and anxious to return to the ice, but he surely didn’t expect that kind of game.
“Kind of surreal, you know?” Letang said. “These guys supported me for the last month, it’s just great to be back.”
Given all that Letang had gone through, and how the team mostly struggled without him in the lineup, the game culminating in an overtime winner from Letang felt storybook.
“Couldn’t be happier for Tanger,” Mike Sullivan said. “With everything that he’s been through the last little while. To come back and have the night that he had, that was an emotional night for him and the whole team for that matter.”
Without Letang in the lineup, the Penguins went 4-5-2 and were outscored 33-29 in those 11 games.
The Penguins were dealing with a number of other injuries, but Letang is more than just a team leader and top defenseman.
Letang provided a boost in morale for the team and he brings a new level of stability and ease to the entire defensive unit.
“We’re all living through it with him,” Sullivan said. “I think everybody was ecstatic to get Tanger back in the lineup. You see the impact he has on our team.”
On top of his four points, Letang played his usual 26+ minutes of ice-time proving to have not missed a beat in his absence.
It was an emotional game for Letang and a much needed win for the Penguins; the team is still looking for full health, but they certainly got one of their most important players back in a huge way.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
Penguins' Tristan Jarry was Late Scratch with Upper-Body Injury
Kris Letang Seals Deal for Penguins in Back-and-Forth Slugfest
Tristan Jarry Out of Penguins Lineup with Injury
Penguins Are a Better Team with Kris Letang in Lineup
Penguins Activate Kris Letang from LTIR
- undefined
- undefined