PITTSBURGH — Kris Letang incredibly returned to the Penguins lineup Saturday, just 12 days after he suffered a mild stroke that forced him to ponder his future in the sport.
At the beginning of pregame warmups before Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres, fans inside PPG Paints Arena cheered when he charged out of the tunnel in his usual spot in line, just ahead of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The applause was significantly louder when Letang was announced as a starter prior to puck-drop and the building buzzed throughout Letang’s first shift.
It was a surreal scene given the initial fears after suffered his stroke Nov. 28.
Few around the team envisioned that the All-Star defenseman would be cleared to return this quickly by the medical staff. One exception was Letang, who within 36 hours of his health scare was lobbying to be allowed back on the ice.
The Penguins on Nov. 30 said Letang would be out indefinitely while he underwent additional testing to determine whether it was safe for him to continue his career. The 35-year-old father of two was soon cleared to resume skating, and he got the green light to practice Thursday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins’ head physician, explained Thursday that a few factors put Letang on track to return to the lineup much sooner than in 2014, when he suffered his first stroke and was sidelined for more than two months.
This stroke was milder than the first, the Penguins have said. Letang’s diagnostic assessment was much quicker because they already knew the root of the problem, a tiny hole in the wall of his heart that was discovered eight years ago. And Vyas said his symptoms resolved “a lot quicker than they did the last time.”
Vyas added that he did not believe playing hockey would be “risky” for Letang.
“We don’t think this is accelerated in any way,” Vyas said of the timetable. “We’re taking all the right precautions to make sure he is safe to go out and play.”
Letang said Thursday that family came first when it came to his health. But he felt comfortable he was not putting himself in jeopardy by resuming his career.
“Stroke is a scary word. I’ve been lucky that these things resolve on their own and I can go back to a normal life,” said Letang, who holds several franchise records for his position. “People know me well by now and know that hockey is a passion for me. It’s something that it’s going to take a lot to drag me out of.”
Letang looked like himself from start to finish in the win against the Sabres.
He led the Penguins in ice time as he partnered up with housemate Pierre-Olivier Joseph at 5-on-5. He had a relatively clean game defensively, at one point keeping the puck out of his net by getting a stick on a Tyson Jost shot. And he was smooth and under control with the puck while getting his team out in transition.
He quarterbacked the second power play, ceding first-team work to Jeff Petry. He also made a cameo on the penalty kill, an area where he has been used less this season, as Pittsburgh ticked down Brian Dumoulin’s first-period minor.
With Letang back in the lineup, the Penguins were amped up at the onset of this game, a departure from their win in Buffalo a night earlier. Rickard Rakell scored 4:22 in, making it five games in a row with a power-play tally for the team. Then Crosby banked the first of his two goals in off of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The Sabres started their push in the second period but misfired on a few of their more promising shots. Casey DeSmith was sharp when they hit the net.
Peyton Krebs snapped DeSmith’s shutout bid with nine minutes left in the third. He got the tip of his blade on Casey Fitzgerald’s rising shot from the point.
DeSmith’s sliding save on Jack Quinn kept the Penguins in the lead. Then Crosby whipped a shot off the rush past Luukkonen, giving them breathing room.
DeSmith made 37 saves as the Penguins won their fifth consecutive game.
ICE CHIPS
— The NHL suspended Sabres forward Jeff Skinner three games for crosschecking Jake Guentzel in the face in the third period of Friday’s win in Buffalo. So Skinner, who received a match penalty for the hit, did not suit up for the Sabres.
— Ryan Poehling returned to the Penguins lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury. Danton Heinen and Chad Ruhwedel were the scratches.
— The fourth line of Poehling, Teddy Blueger and Josh Archibald made an impact, generating offensive zone time and forcing the Sabres to defend them instead of the other way around. They earned a few good looks but couldn’t convert.
— Coach Mike Sullivan kept Marcus Pettersson and Petry together as a defensive pair Saturday and also left intact the combination of Dumoulin and Rutta.
— Sullivan flip-flopped Jason Zucker and Brock McGinn in the third period.
— Petry exited the ice late in the game with an apparent upper-body injury.
COMING UP
Players have the day off Sunday. The Penguins will be back on the ice Monday, when the Dallas Stars visit PPG Paints Arena for the only time this season.
