Sullivan Indicates Encouraging News on Letang Injury

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Monday that the upper-body injury to defenseman Kris Letang is not necessarily a long-term problem.

Letang, who was hurt Saturday, will be “evaluated on a day-to-day basis,” Sullivan said, although he did not specifically list Letang as being out day-to-day.

Sullivan said the news on Letang was encouraging.

The fear, of course, was that Letang might have injured his neck and that it could be something serious. Letang had neck disk surgery late in the 2016-17 season.

Letang and his partner on the top defensive pairing, Brian Dumoulin, were hurt in the first period of Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Philadelphia in an outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field. Dumoulin has a concussion.

Dumoulin was hit by the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds and his head crunched into the glass. Letang got hurt during an immediate series of scrums.

Dumoulin and Letang both will miss Tuesday’s game at Columbus, Sullivan said.