It was been a tough season for Letang. He dealt with a knee injury to start the season, an elbow infection in December and January and then of course his stroke in February. Now Letang's latest injuries to his foot and hand, I'm sure he will be happy to relax his banged up body over the offseason.
It is believed that Carter took the day off to rest some bumps and bruises after a physical seven-game series vs. the Sharks. Monitor Carter's status as pregame warmups start at 7:30 p.m ET. If he plays expect him to skate on the second line between Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli.
The Pens will continue to keep Neal and Letang relegated to the second powerplay unit.
Malkin was on the ice for the morning skate taking line rushes with Jussi Jokinen and James Neal. His participation in the morning skate suggests that he will be good to go tonight in game 1 vs. the Blue Jackets.
Crosby missed Sunday's game in Colorado, but will be back in tonight vs. the Red Wings. This could be a preview of the Penguins first-round playoff matchup. Two of Crosby's 36 goals this season have come vs. the Red Wings. Obviously, when he is available, he is in your lineup.
Letang has not played since January 27th after suffering a stroke in early February. He has been skating with the team since the middle of March, but will finally return tonight after a 10-week absence. He has 18 points (10G / 8A) in 34 games this season, but it is tough to expect him to tear it up in the remaining three games. However, this is a huge boost for the Penguins for the playoffs.
The Penguins announced that they will not have Crosby tonight due to an upper-body injury. His injury is not believed to be serious according to head coach Dan Bylsma. Consider Crosby day-to-day.
Penguins' head coach Dan Bylsma said it is too early to say if Malkin will be ready to play game 1 of the playoffs. He has been out Sine March 23rd and will miss his seventh straight game tonight.
Malkin reportedly was injured in his first shift on Sunday vs. St. Louis, but still played 24:32. In the middle of the fantasy playoffs this is rough for Malkin owners. The injuries continue to mount for the Penguins. Two-to-three weeks means there is a chance that Malkin will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.
There is no word whether or not Malkin will play tonight. They may have just given him the morning off. Monitor his status before tonight's clash with the Coyotes.
With Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino out with injuries, the Ducks have recalled Rakell along with Emerson Etem. Rakell, 20, has one assist in nine games with the Ducks this season. While in the AHL he has tallied 14 goals and 23 assists (37 points) in 46 games.
Letang has been out since he suffered a stroke in late January. The Penguins will not will not rush Letang back considering the gravity of his condition, but it sounds like he will be back before the end of the regular season.
This is fantastic news for the Penguins. Earlier in the week there were reports that they don't expect him to be back this season, now he is cleared for full practice. Being cleared for full practice and being cleared to skate is a big difference. Expect Letang to be a full participant this week and if all goes well he could be back soon.
The crucial thing to keep in mind regarding Letang is there remains no time frame for his return. Also, the information on this end is that the Penguins are not expecting him to play again until next season. Letang was in good spirits on Tuesday night while conversing with teammates after the Penguins’ win over Washington. He said he has put on some weight in the past couple of weeks – a good sign given the muscle mass he had dropped during a month of nothing but rest after his stroke.
Rakell was recalled on Thursday and will suit up for his eighth game of the season on Friday vs. the Penguins. In his previous seven games Rakell has one assist. While in Norfolk (AHL), he has registered 14 goals and 23 assists (37 points in 43 games. Rakell was the Ducks' first-round selection (30th overall) in 2011.
Letang will be on blood-thinners for another three weeks, is restricted to light exercise, and is counting on medical evidence that those who suffer strokes at such a young age can resume professional sports careers. Doctors have told Letang there is no reason he cannot resume his hockey career, but they cannot tell him when. “I’m targeting it day-by-day,” he said. “I’m trying to improve every day I come [to the rink]. I try to exercise the best I can. I see doctors pretty much every week, twice a week to get better. So we’ll go from there.”
The condition is treatable with blood thinners and at this point is not believed to be career threatening. Further testing also revealed that Letang, 26, has had a very small hole in the wall of his heart since birth. This small defect in the wall is present in all individuals before birth but seals shut in most people. It is possible that the hole in the heart led to the stroke. “The most important thing right now, of course, is Kris’ health,” GM Ray Shero said. “We’re not thinking about hockey right now. We want to make sure he gets the best possible care and gets better. After six weeks of treatment, doctors will re-evaluate Kris.”
The reports on Letang's illness have been extremely vague. There is no word on what kind of illness he is dealing with, but he will miss his fourth straight game tomorrow.
Letang will miss his third straight game and will go for further evaluations. Pens head coach Dan Bylsma is not sure whether or not Letang is fighting a serious illness. We should no more after Letang gets more tests done.
