Penguins defenseman Kris Letang placed in covid-19 protocol

Already missing a handful of all-stars and other vital members of their forward ranks, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without another essential piece of the franchise when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.

Defenseman Kris Letang was placed into NHL’s protocol for covid-19 on Saturday and will not be available to play. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Letang’s status following an optional morning skate.

According to Sullivan, Letang tested positive for the virus, but his test has not been verified.

“He’s in the process of confirmatory tests,” Sullivan said. “That’s part of the protocol. Until we get those back, we can’t definitely say for sure where he’s at.”

Starting goaltender Tristan Jarry missed practice Thursday after testing positive but was back on the ice by Friday once it was learned his positive test was false.

The Penguins are believed to be one of a handful of teams that test players and staff on a daily basis. NHL protocols require teams to test vaccinated players every 72 hours.

Letang’s absence is the latest impediment for a squad already missing several of its most important players. Forwards Sidney Crosby (left wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (right knee) continue to rehabilitate from offseason surgeries. Additionally, forward Bryan Rust (undisclosed injury) and Jeff Carter (positive covid-19 test) have been recent departures from the lineup.

“Our players are very familiar with our style of play with the details of how we’re trying to play each respective zone and both sides of the puck,” Sullivan said. “Regardless of whether or not they play a more significant role as far as playing more minutes, things of that nature, I’m not sure that changes those details. But having said that, when we have some of the types of players we have out of our lineup, I don’t think we need to change how we play. I just think we need to simplify how we play.”

A six-time All-Star, Letang is one of the Penguins’ least replaceable players. In four games this season, he has recorded four assists and leads the squad with an average of 26 minutes, 8 seconds of ice time per contest.

In a cruel twist, Letang was the team’s “iron man,” having played a team-best 56 consecutive games, including playoffs. He had recently inherited that designation after Rust was injured Oct. 14 and had his streak snapped at 104 games.

With Letang absent Saturday, defenseman Marcus Pettersson is slated to become the Penguins’ new “iron man,” though, at this rate, it might be more appropriate to recast that title as “barium man.” Pettersson has played in 53 consecutive contests.

Notes:

• Sullivan confirmed defenseman Mark Friedman, who was hobbled by an undisclosed injury earlier in the week, is available for Saturday’s game.

• Sullivan suggested the team likely will make at least one recall Saturday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a precaution.

• Jarry is expected to start Saturday’s game. In three games this season, Jarry has a 2-0-1 record, a 1.62 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.

• The Penguins’ optional morning skate included forwards Teddy Blueger, Brian Boyle, Kasperi Kapanen, Sam Lafferty, Drew O’Connor, Evan Rodrigues and Dominik Simon; defensemen Chad Ruhwedel, Friedman and Pettersson; and goaltenders Casey DeSmith and Jarry.

• The Maple Leafs are expected to start goaltender Jack Campbell. In four games this season, Campbell has a 2-0-1 record along with a 1.18 GAA and .953 save percentage.

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