High-scoring defenseman Kris Letang missed three Penguins game with concussion-like symptoms.

Finally the team got around to diagnosing him with a concussion and placed him under the league’s protocol for such injuries. As Pens fans learned with the long-running Sidney Crosby saga, Letang now faces an uncertain immediate future.

So does defenseman Zbynek Michalek, who was also diagnosed with a concussion three games after he suffered his initial injury. The Penguin provided no clues as to the severity of either concussion.

Letang has 19 points in 22 games, putting him in a tie for fourth among the top-scoring defensemen in the NHL this season. Michalek has four points in 14 games this year.

Among the Penguins seeking to pick up their place in their absence: Puck-moving defenseman Paul Martin, who last scored a goal on Dec. 4, 2010.