from the CP at TSN,

Chasing a second straight Stanley Cup without Kris Letang hasn't been easy for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defending champs have been trying to scratch their way to the top without their injured No. 1 defenceman. It's been a sometimes wearisome process which nonetheless has them up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup final.

"Not one guy has tried to replace him — you can't," 26-year-old Justin Schultz said of Letang, a two-time all star, before the start of the final. "He's one of the best defencemen in the league and not one of us is going to fill that spot."

One week before the playoffs Pittsburgh announced that Letang required season-ending neck surgery, and on that day the 30-year-old predicted his team would do just fine. His belief came from the club's ability to overcome significant injuries in the past. And, of course, the Pens still had Sidney Crosby.

"You've all seen Sidney Crosby's demeanour, what he wants to accomplish," Letang said, speaking earlier this week at the team's practice facility.

Though they're two wins from winning it all again, the Letang-less Pens defence has hardly been a resounding success, which should be no surprise. Letang, who played only 41 games this season, is a former Norris trophy finalist and the 26th highest-scoring defenceman on a per-game basis in league history (minimum 500 games).

"He's so skilled, it's crazy," Schultz said. "You don't appreciate it until you're on his team and watching him every night what he does for this team."

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