The Penguins had a welcomed return to the ice Tuesday, just a few hours after a dramatic overtime win over Anaheim.
Kris Letang skated on his own for a little over half an hour before practice began at the team's facility in Cranberry.
"It's great," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He means a lot to our team. He's part of this family. For him to be back around the group is a great feeling for everybody. We're looking forward to him joining us for a game, and hoping that's sooner than later."
Letang, wearing a non-contact jersey, worked with assistant coach Ty Hennes individually as players trickled onto the ice for the optional skate. He practiced with his teammates for a little over ten minutes before leaving the ice and not returning.
The 35-year-old defenseman has not played since December 28 due to a lower-body injury.
During his recovery, Letang's father passed away while the team was in Boston for the Winter Classic on January 2. He returned to Montreal to be with his family, and stayed there until this week.
"Obviously he's going through a lot," defenseman Jeff Petry said Tuesday. "Just his presence, him being back, gives us a lift."
Last Monday, following a ten-day road trip, the Penguins, as a team, flew to Montreal to attend the veteran player's father's funeral.
The injury and family loss has added onto an already trying season for Letang. He's played in just 29 games, having missed a couple of weeks after suffering a second stroke in eight years.
Letang will not play, according to Sullivan, in Wednesday's game in Ottawa, and is considered day-to-day.
Jarry takes shots
Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry has been out of the lineup for the last two weeks following an in-game injury in the Winter Classic on January 2.
On Tuesday, however, Jarry took shots during practice.
After practice, however, he said that there's no timetable established for his return at the moment.
"It's good to be able to manage that and come back 100 percent," he said. "Playing anything less that that definitely doesn't benefit the team."
The 27-year-old has posted a 15-5-4 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.75 goals against average this season.
Before the injury, however, he had struggled some, allowing 12 goals in three games before the outdoor game in Boston.
Petry, others takes next step
In addition to Letang and Jarry, Petry was also to get back to practice — which was optional and did include the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust and several others.
Petry has been out since mid-December with an upper-body injury, and has practiced recently with a non-contact jersey. He was wearing a regular jersey, however, on Tuesday.
"Obviously it wasn't the full team practice, but to get some more reps with more bodies out there, 3-on-2, 2-on 1's, that's something that I haven't done in a while," he said. "It's good to get those reps in. Every day is one step closer."
Sullivan also updated the statuses of other players. Defenseman Jan Rutta is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He not make the trip to Ottawa.
Other injured players, Josh Archibald (in a non-contact jersey) and Ryan Poehling, practiced Tuesday in some fashion.
"They all participated, full capacity for most of them," Sullivan said. "That's a huge step because that's the last hurdle before the actual return to play. These guys are getting close. We're encouraged with the progress that they've made. They'll travel on the trip with us and then we'll make decisions accordingly."
