BACK ON THE ICE FOR THE PENGUINS, ABSENT OLYMPIANS

The Penguins finally got back on the ice yesterday, minus their teammates who are still at the Olympics, but with a couple of welcome returnees. Defenseman Kris Letang and forward Filip Hallander were full participants.

Letang has been out since suffering a fractured foot in late January. Hallander has missed over three months because of a blood clot in his leg. He last played in a game on November 3^rd. The Penguins worked him hard, too, with coach Dan Muse saying they are taking it day-to-day and it’s too early to say whether or not Hallander will need a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Muse liked the effort in the Pens’ first practice back after the break.

Muse got a laugh when he declined to answer who he’s rooting for in the Olympics. He has a long-time association with USA Hockey, but he also has Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Arturs Silovs playing for three different teams in the Olympics. Like everybody else, he’s looking forward to the remaining games in the medal round.