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Two weeks ago, the Penguins announced Kris Letang would be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a stroke on Nov. 28. On Thursday night, in just his third game back from hiatus, the veteran defenseman made his presence known with a crucial goal during Pittsburgh’s 4–2 win over the Panthers.
Letang, who returned to practice 10 days after his medical emergency, found the back of the net with a short-handed goal off a breakaway pass against Florida in the second period. Letang’s timely goal evened the score, 1–1, and marked his first goal since the Penguins’ 6–4 victory over the Wild on Nov. 17.
Prior to the 2022 season, Letang suffered a stroke during his eighth NHL season in 2014, causing him to miss more than two months of play. Both strokes were caused by a “very small hole in the wall of his heart,” a condition Letang was born with, according to the Penguins.
After a shorter absence this season, Letang re-joined the lineup ahead of last Saturday’s 3–1 win against the Sabres. The 35-year-old reflected on his road to recovery and how it felt to be back after the game.
“It feels great,” Letang said. “As I was starting to feel better, you get anxious, you want to go back out there. With the schedule, we don’t have a chance to practice that much so tried to prepare the best I could, timing needs to get a little better but legs are there. Felt pretty good out there.”
In the eight years since his first stroke, Letang has appeared in 543 regular-season matchups and 69 playoff games. He has recorded two goals and 12 assists in 24 games this season.
