PITTSBURGH — Kris Letang, a defenseman for the Penguins, was unable to play in Saturday night’s matchup against San Jose due to an illness.
This marks Letang’s second straight absence, as he also missed the game on Friday where Pittsburgh suffered a 6-2 defeat to Columbus. So far this season, Letang has recorded two goals and four assists over the span of 18 matches.

In an interesting turn of events, Owen Pickering, who was the Penguins’ first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, made his debut in the NHL on Saturday.
Additionally, forward Vasily Ponomarev participated in his first game with the Penguins. Ponomarev came to Pittsburgh as part of the trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that involved Jake Guentzel on March 7. A second-round pick from 2020, he has already registered two points in his two NHL appearances.

The Penguins currently hold a record of 6-10-3, and they have struggled significantly during their ongoing three-game losing streak, being outscored 16-5. On Tuesday, the team made headlines by trading veteran forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals after an overwhelming 7-1 loss at home to Dallas, where they conceded six goals in the first period alone.