USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to play their second consecutive game without veteran defender Kris Letang in the lineup.

Letang took a temporary leave from the Penguins roster to be with family following the death of his father.

The team made it public that Letang’s father passed away while they were in Boston preparing for the Winter Classic.

Letang was likely going to miss the game due to a lower-body injury; he missed the team practice on New Year’s Day and was not part of the team photo.

Following the practice at Fenway Park, Letang went home to Montreal.

In the Penguins’ first game following the Winter Classic, they will wear a ‘CF’ helmet decal to honor Letang’s father Claude Fouquet.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said following a practice in Vegas that there is no update on when Letang will return to the team.

The Penguins are respecting Letang and his family’s privacy and it isn’t likely he plays during their two-game trip out west.

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