It appears as if the Penguins will be Kyle Schwarber Jersey as close to full strength on Thursday night as they've been all season. Along with center , defenseman will also be returning to the Penguins lineup when they take on the New York Rangers, appearing in his first game since he was hit by Dallas' back on February 29. Letang is Pittsburgh's top defenseman, and an argument can be made ( ) that his return might actually make a bigger impact on the Anthony Rizzo Jersey Penguins' Stanley Cup chances than the return of Crosby. As crazy as that may sound, it's very simple: Without Crosby Pittsburgh still has two more top centers with and and one Andre Dawson Jersey of the highest-scoring offenses in the league ... without Letang they simply don't have another No. 1 defenseman.Crosby ReturnsMore NHL coverage | | In 40 games this season Letang has scored nine goals and recorded 22 a sists and has been a workhorse on the blue line, averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night. The Penguins power play has suffered in his absence, scoring just one goal Greg Maddux Jersey on its past 19 attempts without him.On the other side, the Rangers will still be without goaltender as he continues to recover from the flu, which means veteran backup will get the start in net. New York's captain, , will also remain out of the lineup with a foot injury and will mi s his third straight Jon Lester Jersey game.