Kris Letang Suspended: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will be suspended for one game as a result of his hit on Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win in Game 3 on Monday. 

Letang will miss Game 4 on Wednesday. The player safety department explained the suspension ruling in a video:

TSN's Travis Yost thought the league looked to appease all parties with its verdict:

Johansson returned to the game after exiting in the first period following the hit.

"I went through all the concussion tests and stuff like that. Just some issues with my neck right now," he said after the game, per ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. "I just got hit right in the head and a little whiplash I think. It is what it is."

According to the Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan, though, Johansson missed Washington's practice Tuesday, and the team announced he has an upper-body injury.

Letang, for his part, told reporters Wednesday he "respects" the decision to suspend him, but added there was "no malicious intention."

Losing Johansson for Game 4 would be a blow for the Capitals. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in nine playoff games, and he collected 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in the regular season.

But even if Johansson is out, the Penguins will likely miss Letang more. Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski noted how much Pittsburgh struggled without him this year:

Letang's effectiveness on both ends of the ice makes him one of the Penguins' most important players. Losing him at any stage of the year would be a big deal, and his absence will be magnified given the stakes of Pittsburgh's next game.

Taking a 3-1 series lead would put the Penguins firmly in the driver's seat. But now the Capitals have a much better chance to even things up and steal a game on the road with Pittsburgh down a key man.