Letang skates, but unrelated to hockey
Sullivan: Thursday was for nothing ‘other than his own peace of mind’
Kris Letang skated on an individual basis Thursday morning, three days after he suffered another stroke. But coach Mike Sullivan downplayed that development, saying Letang has not been cleared for any rigorous hockey activities.
“What he has done, I think more for his own mental health, is he was at the practice rink this morning. He did go for a twirl on the ice. And he did get approval by our doctors in that regard,” he said after Thursday’s morning skate. “But it’s nothing from a team standpoint or anything other than his own peace of mind.”
There remains no official timetable for Letang’s return.
“He continues to go through some testing. But he’s being closely monitored by our team of doctors that are advising him every day and advising us every day,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, we will err on the side of caution with this one.”
After the Penguins practiced Monday, Letang experienced a migraine and did not feel well physically. He reported his symptoms to the team’s medical staff, who told Letang to go to the hospital. Doctors there diagnosed him with a stroke.
Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said Wednesday that this stroke is “much less severe” than the one that Letang suffered in 2014, which sidelined him for more than two months. During that time, testing revealed that the six-time AllStar defenseman was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart.
The Penguins don’t believe the health scare is career-threatening. In a statement released Wednesday, Letang said he hopes to return to the lineup soon.
Letang broke to the news of his stroke to his teammates after Tuesday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Chad Ruhwedel said they were caught off guard.
“It was just eye-opening for all of us. It’s scary stuff. Very serious. And we’re just glad that he’s doing well right now and continuing to progress,” said Ruhwedel, a veteran defender who should take on a regular role while Letang is out.
Ruhwedel added it was reassuring that Letang delivered the news in person.
“It was definitely important to see him there, to remove some doubt,” he said.
Pierre- Olivier Joseph, who is currently living with Letang, said the news was tough to hear. But he said players feel some relief seeing how well he is doing.
“We all wish him the best for the recovery and we’re all there to support him,” the rookie defenseman said. “There’s some stuff bigger than hockey, and that was definitely one of them. We’re all really happy with how he is right now.”
Thursday’s games
Steven Stamkos earned his 1,000th career point in Tampa Bay’s 4-1 win against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, assisted on one of Nick Paul’s two goals. Stamkos is the 95th player to reach 1,000 points in NHL history and the second member of the Lightning.
• The New Jersey Devils lost for only the second time in 18 games as Ryan Johansen scored his second goal of the game 33 seconds into overtime to give Nashville a 4-3 win against the Devils in Newark, N.J.
• Nathan MacKinnon had five points (two goals, three assists) and J.T. Compher four (two goals, two assists) as Colorado routed the Sabres, 6-4, in Buffalo, N.Y. MacKinnon’s two goals moved him past teammate Gabriel Landeskog for sixth on the franchise goal list with 250.
• Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists to extend his career-best point streak to 10 games, and the Minnesota Wild won at home, beating Edmonton, 5-2. In a streak within the streak, Kaprizov has a goal in four consecutive games. Leon Draisaitl scored his 16th 16th goal for the Oilers.
• Jordan Martinook had a hat trick that included the go-ahead goal with 4:35 to play as Carolina won, 6-4, in St. Louis.