Pittsburgh Penguins’ best defenceman Kris Letang has a day to day injury and he will not play Monday night against the New York Rangers. The Penguins lose another defenceman, as Brian Dumoulin is also out with an injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play Monday night against the New York Rangers.https://t.co/mpD86yaoDq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 1, 2021
Kris Letang’s Injury Day-To-Day, Will Not Play Tonight
Letang is a rock-solid defenceman that the Penguins need to succeed. His offensive game combined with his defensive skills makes him worthy of the top pairing. He has three assists through nine games this season, and six minutes in penalties. So far, his Corsi is 53.6 percent with a relative Corsi of -0.1. Last season, he had the fourth-most points on the team, and easily had the most points out of any defenceman. He ended with 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points in a 61 game stretch. His Corsi was 51.7 percent and had a relative Corsi of 2.0.
Moving Forward
The Penguins’ defensive core has taken a beating this season. In addition to the Kris Letang injury, Dumoulin is out, and Mike Matheson is on injured reserve as well. In a highly competitive Eastern Division, losing star players for even a few games can mean the difference between playoffs or not. While it does not seem that Letang’s injury is serious, he will likely miss a few games. The Penguins play the Rangers on Monday night and then travel back home to face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Both of these young teams are highly capable on the offensive side of the puck, and with three defenders out for Pittsburgh, it could get out of hand quickly. The Penguins’ forwards will have to do a much better job playing defence in order to help out either Casey DeSmith or Tristan Jarry in the net. While both goalies have been playing decently well, the defence still needs to make it as easy as possible.
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