PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari scored two goals apiece, and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Rangers 6-5 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
Mantha and Acciari beat Jonathan Quick twice in a span of just over three minutes early in the first period to give the Penguins an early cushion. Mantha made it 3-0 with an easy tap-in in the second period. Acciari and Rickard Rakell scored 20 seconds apart early in the third to push Pittsburgh’s advantage to 5-1 on a night the franchise celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2016 club that won the Stanley Cup.
Erik Karlsson became the 12th defenseman in NHL history to reach 700 career assists when he picked up the secondary helper on Rakell’s 10th goal of the season 1:20 into the final period. The other 11 defensemen to reach the 700-assist plateau are in the Hall of Fame.
Stuart Skinner improved to 8-1 in his last nine starts but nearly let a four-goal third period get away.
Alex Lafreniere scored twice for the Rangers. Vincent Trocheck, Vladislav Gavrikov and Will Cuylle all scored during a late rally, but it wasn’t enough for the Rangers to fall to 2-10 since goaltender Igor Shesterkin was lost indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Until the late surge, New York coach Mike Sullivan — who guided the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 during a decade-long run as head coach before trading Pittsburgh for New York last summer — watched his team spend most of the afternoon putting up little fight against the surprising Penguins.
Pittsburgh moved into second place by itself in the Metropolitan Division with the victory despite being without veteran defenseman Kris Letang, who will miss at least a month with a fractured left foot sustained in a win over Chicago on Thursday. The 20-year veteran was wearing a protective boot on the foot during a pregame ceremony honoring the 2016 club.
Up next
Rangers: Off until Thursday night, when they host Carolina in the final game before the Olympic break.
New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) moves the puck down ice as Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) tries to defend during the third period at UBS Arena, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Elmont, NY.
It’s going to be a while before the Islanders next see Cal Ritchie.
Ritchie’s lower-body injury will keep him out through the Olympic break, coach Patrick Roy said Saturday before the Islanders faced the Predators at UBS Arena.
Including Saturday’s match, the Islanders have just four games left before the three-week break, which will see them return to practice a little over a week before resuming the season in Montreal on Feb. 26.
Roy said that Ritchie “tried” to skate on his own Friday but it did not go well, so for the time being, he will stay off the ice.
New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) moves the puck down ice as Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) tries to defend during the third period at UBS Arena, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Elmont, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
It’s not clear when exactly Ritchie suffered the injury, as he played his last shift with under three minutes to go in last Saturday’s loss to the Sabres.
For the time being, however, the injury is allowing the Islanders to punt on what will be a tough lineup decision once the rookie centerman returns.
After adding Ondrej Palat via trade, and with Bo Horvat back healthy, it’s not entirely clear how the Islanders can make room for Ritchie in their lineup.
Max Shabanov, who had a spot for most of the season, has sat two of three games since the Isles traded for Palat, with his only playing time coming Thursday night when Casey Cizikas was out sick.
Ritchie, who has generally centered the second or third line, would need to either shift to the wing or the Islanders would need to shift someone else to the wing in order to accommodate him.
Calum Ritchie of the New York Islanders scores a goal as Luke Glendening of the New Jersey Devils tries to defend during the third period when the New York Islanders defeated the New Jersey on January 6, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
It’s not at all obvious which winger would sit either, at least as long as the fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Cizikas and Kyle MacLean continues to play well.
Jonathan Drouin has gone a long period without scoring, but the Islanders clearly value the other aspects of his game enough that they are reluctant to make him a healthy scratch.
Depending how circumstances shake out when Ritchie is ready to come back, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Islanders ended up sending him back to AHL Bridgeport to avoid a situation where the 21-year-old is not getting playing time.
Cizikas was back in the lineup after missing Thursday’s win at the Rangers with illness.
Jonathan Drouin was a late scratch with illness.
That allowed Max Shabanov to stay in the lineup after skating as an extra in the morning.
Since Carson Soucy was traded to the Islanders, he’s taken the bulk of Matthew Schaefer’s penalty kill minutes.
Though the Islanders don’t have a hard target for Schaefer’s minutes, which average 24:02 per night, and Roy certainly has not hesitated to use him extensively, the head coach acknowledged that it would be a positive to lighten his workload on the PK.
“He’s 18 years old, playing over 25, 27 minutes. At some point it might affect his play,” Roy said. “It’s nice for him to come straight to his five-on-five, the power play.”
The Seattle Kraken will take on the Vegas Golden Knights on the road as they begin a road trip.
The Kraken have three games before the Olympic break, all of which are on the road.
The Kraken enter tonight’s game as winners of three straight, defeating the New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonight, they’ll put their 11-10-4 road record to the test against a Golden Knights team with a 12-7-7 home record.
The Golden Knights enter tonight’s game as losers of three straight, suffering a 7-1 defeat to the Ottawa Senators, before an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and a 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.
The Golden Knights currently hold the lead in the Pacific Division based on points percentage, as they are tied with the Edmonton Oilers at 64 points. The Kraken own third place in the Division based on points percentage, tied with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings with 59 points and one point ahead of the San Jose Sharks.
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Saturday night’s matchup between the Ottawa Senators and the visiting New Jersey Devils is a game that neither team can afford to lose.
New Jersey enters the game nine points back of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, while the Senators sit 10 points out. It’s not where either club expected to be on the final day of January, and Saturday's loser will almost lose sight of the playoff leaders completely.
Ottawa comes in riding momentum after two of its most complete performances of the season, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche by a combined score of 12–3.
Steve Warne discusses the fine recent play of pending UFA Nick Cousins and whether the Sens should re-sign him.
Linus Ullmark was the backup goalie, so he wasn't a direct factor in either win. But the team was pleased to see him return from his month-long personal leave of absence. Six days after returning to the lineup, Ullmark is expected to play his first game since December 27, when he was pulled during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators will also welcome back forward Stephen Halliday after he missed Wednesday’s win over Colorado with an upper-body injury. Halliday was in the midst of his strongest NHL performance to date last Sunday against Vegas, recording two goals and an assist, before suffering the injury. To make room for Halliday’s return, Ottawa has reassigned Xavier Bourgault to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
Ridly Greig, who missed Friday’s practice, is expected to be available for Saturday’s game.
Senators projected lineup (Subject to change)
Drake Batherson — Tim Stützle — Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk — Dylan Cozens — Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins — Shane Pinto — Michael Amadio
Stephen Halliday — Lars Eller — Fabian Zetterlund
Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot — Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven — Nick Jensen
Linus Ullmark
James Reimer
Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo
Injured: David Perron (sports hernia)
Status report
While the Senators are close to full health, the Devils may be without at least one, and possibly both, of their top two centres. Jack Hughes will miss the game with a lower-body injury, though head coach Sheldon Keefe described the issue as “not serious.”
Fellow centre Nico Hischier is under the weather and will be a game-time decision. Forward Cody Glass is expected to return after missing Thursday’s game against Nashville.
Devils projected lineup (Subject to change)
Timo Meier — Dawson Mercer — Jesper Bratt
Lenni Hämeenaho — Cody Glass — Arseny Gritsyuk
Evgenii Dadonov — Paul Cotter — Conor Brown
Maxim Tsyplakov — Luke Glendening — Juho Lammikko
Brett Pesce — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Simon Nemec onas Siegenthaler — Jonathan Kovacevic
Jake Allen Jacob Markstrom
Scratched: Colton White
Injured: Luke Hughes (shoulder), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Stefan Noesen (knee), Jack Hughes (lower body), Nico Hischier (illness)
Earlier today, via the Kraken’s PR on X, the team announced that he will miss the final three games with what has been deemed an upper-body injury. The Kraken have not clarified whether the injury he sustained was to the head or neck.
Either way, Catton won’t see game action until at least Feb. 25 when the Kraken return from the break to take on the Dallas Stars.
The former 2024 eighth overall pick has notched five goals and 11 points in 40 games this season.
The Kraken have three vital games before the Olympics begin. The Kraken will be on the road for all three games, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights tonight before important playoff seeding battles against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings.
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After an ugly loss to the Sabres, the Kings (23-17-13) bounced back with a hard-fought road performance with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers (24-20-10) on Saturday, with a clutch winner from Quinton Byfield.
The Kings came out flying, establishing offensive pressure early and capitlzing on the Flyers early mistakes. Adrian Kempe opened the scoring midway through the first period, finishing off the nice feed from Alex Laferriere and Corey Perry, giving LA the early 1-0 lead.
Just over three minutes later, Kempe struck again, this time off a setup from Perry, burying the quick-release shot from the slot. The Kings dominated possession in the early frame, outshooting the Flyers and keeping Philadelphia from generating offensive pressure.
Darcy Kuemper was sharp in the early frame, turning aside several shots as the Kings took a 2-0 lead into the second period.
Philadelphia came out with urgency in the second and cut the deficit just 39 seconds into the frame. Trevor Zegras finished off a crisp passing sequence, beating off Kuemper to make it 2-1 and swing momentum toward the home side.
The Flyers controlled long stretches of the period, generating pressure off the forecheck and forcing the Kings into extended defensive zone shifts.
Despite scoring early in the period, the Flyers had only one goal in the second, and Los Angeles entered the third ahead by one, but the momentum had clearly shifted.
Flyers tie it
Early in the third, Philadelphia capitalized on a Los Angeles turnover and tied the game 2-2. Travis Konecny snapped a shot past Kuemper just 25 seconds into the period, bringing the Wells Fargo Center crowd to life and setting the stage for a tense finish.
From then on, both teams traded chances in a fast, physical third period, generating quality looks, but the Flyers' goaltender, Dan Vladar, anchored down in the crease, and neither team could score.
Byfield Delivers in Overtime
Overtime featured end-to-end action, with both teams looking to steal this game. Philadelphia nearly ended it when Konecny rang a shot off the post, but the Kings survived and countered.
Byfield finished with the overtime winner, skating on the right side off the ice to beat off the Flyers' goaltender and score the dagger to escape with a much-needed win to get Los Angeles back in the win column.
"I was thinking shot all the way."
Good mindset from QB in that situation as he buried the game-winner.
Jim Hiller pointed to seeing that mentality more of late & the quality in his shot when he rips it.
"Just really good shots. Nice finish, nice goal. Shoot the puck, kid!" https://t.co/0Ka3i0HruG
Adrian Kempe led the way with two goals and three points, continuing his strong stretch and extending his point streak to six games. Byfield finished with the overtime winner, while Perry chipped in two assists ina strong playmaking performance.
Kuemper had a solid game, stopping 19 of 21 shots to earn the win. Despite giving up those two goals very early in the second and third periods, he still came up big in the clutch.
Kopitar returned today for the first time since Jan. 5, when he exited the game against the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury. In the 11 games, Kopitar missed, Los Angeles went 4-3-3 without him, clearly missing him, and tonight, though, despite coming back and playing 16 minutes on ice, he wasn't much of a factor.
It was definitely some rust shown for Kopitar, finishing with just one shot on goal, and was a -1 on ice, so hopefully he gets back to his regular self at the end of the Kings road trip.
The Kings will look to build on this overtime victory as they are now 3-1 on their six-game road trip and will continue it tomorrow afternoon against the Carolina Hurricanes at 12 P.M. PT.
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The Detroit Red Wings discussed the importance of coming out strong against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche, who have been the NHL's best team thus far this season.
Instead, the Avalanche broke out of a mini-funk by taking it to the Red Wings on the scoreboard.
The Avalanche defeated the Red Wings by a 5-0 score, tallying twice in each of the first two periods before adding another in the final frame.
The Red Wings have now dropped three straight games after having picked up five of six points during their recent three-game road swing.
As time ticked away in regulation, only a few thousand fans hadn't already gotten a head start on the traffic after watching a downer of a contest, and they let their frustrations be known with some noticeable booing.
Detroit had a chance to take an early 1-0 lead when leading goal-scorer Alex DeBrincat broke in on a two-on-one opportunity, but sailed a shot over the net.
Just minutes later, Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, who is the oldest player in the NHL, rushed down the right wing and roofed a shot past the glove of John Gibson, breaking the ice.
Colorado soon increased their lead at the midway point of the frame after superstar forward Nathan MacKinnon beat Gibson on a screened shot from the slot.
Not long after the second period began, a missed defensive assignment left Ross Colton all alone in front of Gibson, and he scored a slam-dunk–style goal off a feed from behind the net by Brock Nelson, extending Colorado’s lead to 3–0.
MacKinnon scored again later in the period following a turnover in front of Gibson. Left alone at the side of the net, he took a feed from Artturi Lehkonen and had a wide-open goal to fire at, and he made no mistake.
After making 13 saves, Gibson was replaced for the third period by Cam Talbot, who allowed Parker Kelly to bang home his own rebound for Colorado’s fifth goal.
Colorado's MacKenzie Blackwood made 28 saves for his third shutout of the season.
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 31: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his goal on John Gibson #36 of the Detroit Red Wings with teammates during the second period at Little Caesars Arena on January 31, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
After losing their last two losses against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, the Colorado Avalanche got back in the win column against the Detroit Red Wings today, by a final score of 5-0. Mackenzie Blackwood earned a 28-save shutout and Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals to put him at 40 on the season.
Let’s take a look at the action from this afternoon!
First Period
The Avs would score first, and they would be the only team to score in this game, for that matter. Brent Burns would be the one to get the scoring going, as Nathan MacKinnon would find him with a great pass as Burns went flying into the zone down the wing, and Burns picked his spot against John Gibson, making it 1-0.
After that, Colorado wouldn’t slow down for the rest of the game, as MacKinnon would get his first goal of the afternoon, by putting a puck on net from the top of the zone, and Gibson was never able to pick it up through traffic.
Second Period
Ross Colton would score his second goal in as many games next, as Brock Nelson was able to find him all alone in front of the Detroit net with a phenomal pass to set Colton up for a tap-in goal.
MacKinnon would score his second of the afternoon next, as Detroit would turn the puck over in their own zone to Artturi Lehkonen, and Lehkonen found MacKinnon with a great pass, and MacKinnon put a one-timer past Gibson for his 40th on the season and to make it 4-0 Colorado after two periods.
Third Period
Parker Kelly would add another goal in the third period to make it 5-0, as he was able to walk down right in front of the Detroit net, and had the patience to outwait Gibson, and score his 12th goal of the year. The Avs only needed 21 shots on goal to earn a 5-0 win in Detroit.
Takeaways
Safe to say that looked more like Colorado Avalanche hockey, especially when compared to the last two games against the Senators and Canadiens. The Avs definitely had more jump today, and it certainly showed in the final score. It was really nice to see players from all over the lineup contribute, as both your top players and depth guys managed to get on the scoresheet this afternoon. It was also awesome to see Ross Colton score a goal for the second game in a row, especially with how much he’s struggled to score as of late. Colorado will get to see Detroit once again in a couple of days, and the Red Wings likely will want some revenge for being shut out in their home arena. Hopefully, the Avs can withstand that and sweep the regular-season series against Detroit on Monday.
Upcoming
The Red Wings visit Denver on Monday for the conclusion of the home-and-home as well as the regular-season series between the Avs and Wings. Puck drop will be at 7:00 p.m. MT.
The Philadelphia Flyers still do not appear to have a clear or cohesive plan when it comes to utilizing Matvei Michkov and harnessing his talents.
Michkov, 21, has seen his sporadic offensive production come in spurts this season. The Russian phenom scored against Boston on Thursday night and racked up two goals and an assist against Colorado on Jan. 23, but for all his skills, still sits at 28 points on the season.
In Thursday's game against Boston, one where the Flyers trailed for all but the first 9:49, Michkov received just 12:49 of ice time--the least of any Flyers player besides Nick Deslauriers (12:12).
In the Flyers' very next game against Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, Michkov played a season-low 10:21, still ahead of only Deslauriers (10:21) and Garnet Hathaway (9:02).
To spell it out, the Flyers are using their 2023 No. 7 overall draft pick like a fourth-liner and continue to pay the price offensively.
With Trevor Zegras going cold for much of the last month, Travis Konecny has been the sole consistent proprietor of offense for a team spinning its wheels and tumbling out of the playoff picture.
The Flyers are just 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and now find themselves seven points back of third in the Metropolitan Division and nine points back of the second wildcard spot; either of which would get them to the postseason.
The reality is that the Flyers are 21st in the NHL in goals per game (2.91) and 22nd in goals against per game (3.2).
Benching Michkov or limiting his ice time to play a more responsible and detailed game isn't working for the team or player, and we're about to be in February, here.
An argument can be made as to whether the Flyers coaches are having Michkov return to the bench early, or if the 21-year-old is doing that on his own accord, since the shift totals are generally not too far off from those of his teammates who double as penalty killers.
Either way, isn't that bad? That the coaching staff either wants Michkov to keep his shifts short, or Michkov himself is either actively avoiding the possibility of making a mistake or doesn't feel he can make a difference?
The state of Michkov's athletic conditioning has been a point of contention, well, training camp, but as I said above, it's about to be February. He's not a fast skater anyway, and his entire game is built on making dexterous plays in small areas or in open space.
It would be hard to believe that his conditioning is so poor that his average 5-on-5 shift length against Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon was 31 seconds, according to Natural Stat Trick, which was comfortably lower than virtually every other Flyers forward.
Sean Couturier, who is not a world-renowned skater, averaged a 47-second shift at 5-on-5, second only to Travis Konecny's 48-second average.
Regardless of which of the three points above is the most accurate or believable, Michkov has objectively regressed in a season where the Flyers had much greater aspirations, both on a player development level and on the team level.
The best use of the remaining three months of the season would be remedying the worsening issues at hand while developing a plan to start over in the offseason.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Iorio (22) looks to pass the puck during the NHL game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on January 11, 2026 at SAP Center in San Jose, CA.
PITTSBURGH — Players with an upside are the top target of this Rangers retooling initiative, and the club made its first pickup via the waiver wire on Saturday.
Defenseman Vincent Iorio is headed to New York after the Blueshirts claimed him off waivers from the Sharks, the team announced.
At 23 years old, Iorio has 30 career NHL games of experience and is thought to have potential as a mobile right-handed blueliner.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Iorio (22) looks to pass the puck during the NHL game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on January 11, 2026 at SAP Center in San Jose, CA. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
His 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame also makes him an intriguing addition to the Rangers defense corps.
In anticipation of more trades before the March 6 trade deadline, which could include the departure of another member of the back end in Braden Schneider, the Rangers filled an expected need.
Drafted 55th overall by the Capitals in 2021, Iorio registered a career high and skated in 21 games for the Sharks this season.
He only appeared in nine contests over two seasons for the Capitals before the organization waived him in October.
Vincent Iorio of the San Jose Sharks reacts to the play during the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on January 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NHLI via Getty Images
During the 2024-25 AHL season, Iorio’s 20 points in 67 games with the San Jose Barracuda ranked third among his fellow D-men.
The Buffalo Sabres take on the Montreal Canadiens for the final time this season on Saturday. Both clubs are tied for third place in the Atlantic Division with 67 points and Buffalo has won the last two meetings against the Habs, after losing at the Bell Centre in October. The Sabres have two games in hand on second-place Detroit and hope to move within one point of the Wings, who lost to the Colorado Avalanche Saturday afternoon.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff spoke to the media following the morning skate Saturday morning and provided updates on injured defenseman Jacob Bryson and winger Jordan Greenway. Bryson suffered. Bryson suffered an upper-body injury in Montreal last week and was placed on injured reserve, but took to the ice and is considered day-to-day.
Greenway, who has struggled with the lingering effects of a mid-body injury that was surgically repaired last offseason, has not played since the contest at the Bell Centre on January 22nd. Earlier this week, Ruff had indicated that the injury is not preventing the big forward from skating, but that he would likely be undergoing further medical evaluation.
Alex Lyon, who set a club record with his 10th consecutive victory against Los Angeles on Thursday, occupied the home net at the morning skate and is expected to start, while Jakub Dobes is the likely starter for Montreal.
Stunned to the very core, the Beleaguered Blueshirts have to wonder whether – s the fabled Chicken Little predicted.
You have to wonder – kidding, of course – whether the American Hockey League would allow an even-up trade, Hartford Wolfpack for the New York Rangers? (Just a joke Jim.)
Losing all four games to the Islanders this season – last one on Thursday night had to be the utter humiliation.
Remember, The Hockey News Yearbook pegged the Blueshirts to finish fourth in the Metro and the Islanders seventh. (Doesn't look like that scenario will happen, does it?)
Most compelling will be the Rangers latest passion play unfolding today in Pittsburgh. Let's not forget The Hockey News Yearbook also had the Penguins in eighth place; ergo the cellar, where the Seventh Avenue Skaters happen to be shoveling coal. (Oops! It hit the goal post.)
Here's the fact that blows up in the Blueshirts' mug. Last summer the Pitt brass dumped Mike Sullivan and hired former Ranger aide Dan (Dan Who?) Muse to rule the Penguins' bench.
The result is that the musical Muse has his Pens hellbent for a playoff berth and while we know where Salad-Quote-Sully has his losers,
Even with Sidney Crosby, Geno Malkin and Kris Letang, Sully could do nothing. Zippo, nada playoffs for three straight years; four if you count this Sighted-Sub-Sank-Same imitation of a major league team.
Now, all of a sudden, the trio of future Hall of Fame Penguins are swimming up to a winning iceberg that almost resembles a Stanley Cup.
The Maven asked his favorite Pitt hockey guru Vince Comunale to compare Muse with New York's Great Pretender, Sullivan.
"Muse lets his guys play to their strengths – and not try to fit them into a style that Sullivan wanted to play," says Comunale. "Dan has put his players in roles where they can thrive."
Sully has put his players in a position where they don't know Madison Square Garden from The Planet Mars.
And if you don't believe me, check out the game today at PPG Paints Arena. WARNING: It may move you to tears!
Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas is out of today’s lineup due to a lower-body injury but is listed as day-to-day.
The 27-year-old skated in Thursday’s 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, where he fired three shots on goal but failed to register a point.
In Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Necas absorbed a hard reverse hit from Artem Zub, which left him sprawled on the ice. He was briefly evaluated in the tunnel before returning to the contest. It remains unclear if today’s injury is connected to that incident.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will miss at least four weeks with a fractured foot.
The club announced the extent of the injury on Saturday before the surging Penguins faced the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said Letang, who is in his 20th season, injured the foot during a 6-2 victory over Chicago on Thursday.
Letang's absence comes with the Penguins surging into the Olympic break. Pittsburgh is 6-0-2 in its last eight games to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division.
The 38-year-old Letang has three goals and 22 assists in 50 games this season for the Penguins. He is currently three points shy of 800 for his career.
Letang's injury comes at a potentially fortuitous time for Pittsburgh with the NHL set to take an extended break for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, which start next week. The Penguins not participating in the Olympics will be off from Feb. 6 to Feb. 25.
