Short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins lose defenseman Kris Letang to COVID-19 protocol

Pittsburgh penguins need to see off Chris Retan against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night after the defenders are included in the NHL’s COVID 19 protocol. Coach Mike Sullivan announced the status of Letang  after Kate in the morning.

Letang is the latest penguins player to miss early in the season, led by stars Sidney Crosby (wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (knee) recovering from off-season surgery.

The Penguins got off to a solid start without Crosby and Malkin, hitting 202 from Toronto on Saturday night.
Crosby and Malkin are not the only penguins to beat. Striker Brian Rust has a “weekly” lower-body injury.

Jeff Carter, a veterans center who redeemed Crosby as a front-line center. He also misses a visit to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night after a positive COVID-19 test.

Sullivan said Friday that Carter was asymptomatic but not available for Toronto. The team received some good news on Friday. At that time, top goalkeeper Tristan Jarry was able to return to training with a “false positive” COVID test on Thursday.