Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was released from a hospital Sunday but has been diagnosed with a concussion as a result of a scary hit he received Saturday from Coyotes captain Shane Doan.

Veteran Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was back in action for the first time since Feb. 2, and he fell to 25-12-3 with a 4-2 loss to the Bruins on Saturday at TD Garden.

Lundqvist, who missed 25 games due to a serious vascular injury, finished with 26 saves against the Bruins.

"It was a tough start. Obviously, not the start I was looking for," Lundqvist said. 

The Penguins lost defenseman Kris Letang on a hit Saturday that required a trip to the hospital.

Letang left with 4:45 to play in the second period after a hit from Coyotes captain Shane Doan. Letang, in the corner behind his net, was shoved backward by Doan after flipping the puck out of the zone.

"I just went to make sure I got a piece of him so he couldn't jump by me and he obviously went into the boards awkward," Doan said. "You never ever want to see anyone like that, especially a guy with his caliber and everything he's went through in the past couple years.

Henrik Lundqvist joined his Rangers teammates on the ice Tuesday morning for the first time since early February and said that he hopes to play in a game this weekend.

"That's my goal," Lundqvist said after skating and facing shots for about an hour.

The Rangers play Saturday in Boston, but it's perhaps more likely that Lundqvist would return for the Sunday afternoon home game against the Capitals.

Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis has been ruled out of the regular season and the playoffs while getting treatment for blood clots.

Dupuis, 35, hasn't played since beginning treatment for blood clots in November. The team initially held out hope that Dupuis could return for the postseason. He is prohibited from contact while taking blood thinners to treat the condition.

As anxious as he is to return to playing for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist said Wednesday that he agrees he'll need at least a week of practice before he's ready to play in a game.

"I want to take the first week and skate with the guys and get more speed, and then we'll take it from there," said Lundqvist, who hasn't played since Feb. 2 because of a blood vessel in his neck that was damaged when he was hit by a shot. "I don't want to rush back."

Rangers veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been medically cleared to return to practice after missing the last six weeks with a vascular injury in his neck, the team announced Tuesday.

Lundqvist has not played since Feb. 2 after suffering the vascular injury that could have been life-threatening if it had gone undetected.

Islanders top-line winger Kyle Okposo will return to the lineup Tuesday night against the Rangers, playing for the first time since undergoing eye surgery to repair a detached retina, the team said on Twitter.

The 26-year-old Okposo has not played since Jan. 19.

Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane is in a better place than he was a week and a half ago, according to an ESPN.com report.

Speaking Sunday for the first time since his injury, Kane declared himself in better spirits. He expressed optimism for his recovery and that his teammates would get far enough to give him a chance to play again this season.

"I think I've kind of moved on from it now, but at the same time it was definitely a tough couple of days after you hear the news of the injury and the extent of how long you'll be out," Kane said. "Especially when you're in the groove of playing games and looking forward to finishing the season strong and get into the playoffs, it definitely hurts. I'll try to do the best I can to get as ready as I can for playoffs and be ready to go when I come back.

"I think we're still a little bit of time left in the season here. Once we get to playoffs, we'll see what happens. I'll worry about what I have to worry about, and I'm sure the team will be fine."

Injured Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is getting closer to returning. He doesn't know exactly when he will, but once he gets the medical go-ahead, he says he will be ready to play.

Lundqvist spoke publicly Friday night for the first time since he was sidelined by a unique vascular injury in his neck as a result of being struck by a puck in a game in late January.