The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Kris Letang on injured reserve Tuesday and activated blue-liner Marcus Pettersson.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said earlier Tuesday that Letang is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment, according to the team's TV play-by-play voice, Josh Getzoff.
Letang already missed Sunday's 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders and will remain out of the lineup for the Penguins' New Year's Eve clash against the Detroit Red Wings.
The veteran last played in the first half of a home-and-home against the Islanders on Saturday. He played just over 25 minutes and blocked two shots in a 6-3 loss.
Letang has logged seven goals and 16 points in 34 outings this season while averaging a team-leading 23:24 of ice time. Erik Karlsson stepped up in Letang's absence Sunday with a game-high 26:51 of playing time.
The Penguins were without Pettersson for the last six games due to a lower-body injury of his own.
Pittsburgh entered Tuesday's slate fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 17-16-5 record.
