Letang leads Penguins in ice time vs. Sabres in return from stroke
Less than two weeks after suffering the second stroke of his career, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang returned to the lineup during Saturday's 3-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
Letang led all Penguins skaters with just over 22 minutes of ice time and seven hits in the contest.
"It feels great. As I was starting to feel better, you get anxious, you want to go back out there," Letang told reporters postgame, according to team beat reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "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 the legs were there.
"When I started feeling better, obviously I ramped up the intensity in practice," he added, "but there (were) a couple of things we had to wait on. Like blood tests, stuff like that, just to make sure I can go into contact. Once it was clear, I got the green light."
The 35-year-old missed five games, and the Penguins went 4-0-1 in his absence.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was pleased to have the workhorse back in action.
"We're a whole different defense corps when he's in the lineup," he said, according to DK Pittsburgh Sports' Taylor Haase. "I'm stating the obvious in saying he's an elite defenseman."
Letang was out for over two months in 2014 after his first stroke. Head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas said Thursday that Letang's stroke "was much smaller than it was last time."
"He's always surprised us with how well he heals," Vyas said. "We don't think this is accelerated in any way, we're taking all the right precautions to make sure he is safe to go out and play. And when that time comes, we'll let him go back to playing his sport."
The three-time Stanley Cup champion was back skating with teammates on Dec. 8, which was a welcome sight for Sullivan.
"He's obviously a huge part of this team," Sullivan said after Thursday's practice. "He's close friends with all of his teammates, we all care about him. So to see him on the ice, I think for all of us, it's a little bit of a sense of relief."
Letang paces the team in average ice time per game this season and has one goal and 11 assists in 22 games.
He signed a six-year, $36.6-million extension to remain with the Penguins last summer.
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