Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan quickly silenced any rumors of a possible Kris Letang return to the lineup at this juncture in the Stanley Cup Final.
Following Monday’s contest in Nashville, in which the Penguins lost to the Predators, sending this series back to Pittsburgh all tied up, TSN’s Darren Dreger hinted there may be the very, very small possibility -- "...it’s a long shot. It’s highly unlikely, but it’s not impossible,” he said -- that Kris Letang may return later in this series.
Sullivan addressed the matter on Tuesday.
“There is zero chance that Kris Letang will come back for this series,” Sullivan told reporters.
The Penguins have been without Letang, their best defenseman, for the entire postseason, after he underwent neck surgery in April. The expected timeline back then was four-to-six months.
Despite his absence, Pittsburgh is still only two wins away from a second consecutive championship, although the struggles of its current defensive group have been highlighted, particularly with the way Nashville forechecks so relentlessly. Such was the case Monday.
Game 5 of this series goes Thursday in Pittsburgh.