Kris Letang held out of Pittsburgh’s Sunday game as precaution
The Pittsburgh Penguins held defenseman Kris Letang out of Sunday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets as a precaution.
According to coach Mike Sullivan, Letang wasn’t feeling well when he woke up Sunday after he was clipped high by Minnesota Wild forward Jarret Stoll in a Saturday game at Excel Energy Center.
“He woke up this morning and wasn’t feeling great,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, he’s had some history over the last little while here with the injuries so, for precautionary reasons, we’re holding him out. Kris’ health is our No. 1 priority and given the history over the last few weeks, our medical staff felt it was in Kris’ best interest if we took a precautionary approach.”
Letang did return, finished the game and played 21:42 with two assists. The blueliner has a history of head injuries, with three documented concussions in the last five seasons. Stoll was penalized for an illegal check to the head.
The 28-year-old Letang suffered a concussion on March 28 last season, after he was hit into the boards by Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan. He did not play the remainder of the regular season or the playoffs after that check. Letang has 16 points in 26 games played this season. He has not played a full season since 2011-12, where he had 50 points in 82 games played.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
