Penguins D Kris Letang returns to game action

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang returned to game action Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres 12 days after suffering a stroke.

Letang, 35, returned to practice on Thursday. He missed five games.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion suffered the stroke on Nov. 28. Letang missed more than two months in 2014 following a stroke. Tests at the time revealed he was born with a tiny hole in the wall of his heart.

Letang has one goal and 11 assists in 21 games going into Saturday night.

He is the franchise's all-time leader in games (962), goals (145), assists (517) and points (662) by a defenseman. He won Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017 and trails only longtime teammates Sidney Crosby (1,134) and Evgeni Malkin (1,007) in games played for the franchise.