Penguins' Kris Letang at center of physical, emotionally charged matchup with Florida

Following a second-period collision Friday night with Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang played the remainder of the game with a target on his back.

Or perhaps more accurately, his face.

Later in the period, by which point Letang had become involved in more physical interactions with Panthers players, including several after-the-whistle scrums, Florida forward Anton Lundell threw a right hook that connected with Letang’s visor.

Kris Letang throws a big hit and Anton Lundell takes a penalty going after Letang ???? pic.twitter.com/xyRrZjwMMg

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 27, 2024

The Penguins’ alternate captain had just finished a check on forward Eetu Luostarinen, which sent both players to the ice.

Moments after that, Lundell, taking exception to the hit, confronted Letang along the boards in the defensive zone, punching him in the face and drawing a roughing penalty, one of eight minor infractions assessed to Florida in the Panthers’ eventual 3-2 shootout victory.

“It was an emotional game and so in those situations, both teams are invested,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “That’s just part of it. It makes for exciting hockey.”

Following the game, Sullivan complimented how his players handled themselves.

Despite the Panthers making their displeasure with Letang abundantly clear, the Penguins did not commit any retaliatory penalties.

Letang’s double-minor in the second period with 10 minutes, 12 seconds remaining, half of which was the interference call he earned as a result of colliding with Barkov, marked the last Penguins penalty of the night.

“It’s tough to play teams like that, that get in your face – they’re scrappy,” said netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, who made 29 saves on 31 shots. “They like to do a lot of talking, a lot of chirping, a lot of pushing and shoving after whistles and stuff. So, it’s hard to stay mentally engaged in the right things.”

Both Sullivan and Letang addressed the play with Barkov that seemed to have generated the majority of Friday’s bad blood.

Aleksander Barkov heads to the dressing room after being shoved into the boards by Kris Letang. pic.twitter.com/rDTgERjqva

— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) January 27, 2024

“I was going to the puck and Barkov kind of stepped in front of me, so I peeled off,” Letang said. “I think I just put my hand on him and either my stick or my skate clipped him and I think his foot got caught. But I did not hit him, that’s for sure.”

Added Sullivan: “ I don’t know what everybody was upset about. It was barely contact – it was incidental contact. It wasn’t even a penalty in my opinion. I don’t know why everyone was up in arms about it. For me, (Letang) was playing hockey.”

Barkov was attended to on the ice by Panthers medical personnel in the immediate aftermath of the incident and headed to the team’s locker room before returning to the game.

He ultimately skated for 21:35, recording two shots and a hit.

The vibe in Florida’s locker room postgame appeared to be one of teammates simply looking out for their captain.

“That’s kind of what a team is,” Panthers forward Kevin Stenlund said. “Obviously, if anyone goes down, we stick up for that guy. Obviously, we did.”

Nedeljkovic seemed to see it that way, too.

“They’re going to stand up for their leader there,” Nedeljkovic said. “I’m more than positive we would do the same thing if it happened to (Crosby), (Letang) – anybody, really. We’re going to respond like that.”

Florida’s Sam Reinhart scoring the game-winning shootout goal undoubtedly ended the evening on a bad note for the Penguins (21-17-7).

But emotions running so high for the majority of the game added an extra competitive edge that players enjoyed.

“Obviously, things got a little heated and that makes the games a little bit more fun,” said forward Bryan Rust. “That gets everybody involved when things get a little chippy like that. I thought it was a fun game.”