PITTSBURGH, - Kris Letang was on the ice at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday morning skating, passing, shooting, flashing the skills which have made him one of the NHL's top defencemen.

But when Game 4 begins on Wednesday night Letang will be sitting and watching, suspended one game for "interference" on Washington Capitals winger Marcus Johansson in Game 3.

The Penguins, leading 2-1 in a second series with Washington, are well aware that replacing their former all-star is all but impossible.

"I don't think anybody's going to try to become Kris Letang because we don't have him tonight," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the team's morning skate. "We're just going to be ourselves. We're going to play our game. We're going to try to play to our strengths and we'll see where it goes."

Former Edmonton Oiler Justin Schultz looks to be stepping in for the suspended Letang. He paired with Ian Cole on Wednesday morning while taking reps on both Penguins power-play units.

Schultz hasn't played since Game 1 of Pittsburgh's first round series with New York, a span of exactly three weeks.

"I'm not going to replace him by no means," Schultz said of Letang.

"I haven't played for a while," he added, "so just try to move my feet, jump up when I can and have fun."

Sullivan listed 21-year-old defender Olli Maatta as a game-time decision, but his return seems unlikely at this point. Maatta, injured by a Brooks Orpik hit in Game 2, didn't play in Game 3 and hasn't skated with his teammates since because of an upper-body injury.

Brian Dumoulin was paired with Ben Lovejoy on Wednesday morning, while Derrick Pouliot, who played his first career playoff game on Monday, was connected with Trevor Daley, the 32-year-old who is second to Letang in minutes this post-season.

One of the two combos will be charged with slowing Washington's top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie.

Schultz could be Letang's replacement on the team's top power-play unit. Both he and Daley took reps with the first unit, which features Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel.

But the Penguins know Letang, averaging more than 29 minutes in the playoffs, can't really be replaced.

"It's tough to replace a guy that has that much of an influence on our team," Sullivan said. "But we believe we have depth and we'll spread his minutes amongst the group and we'll try to put the guys in situations where they can play to their strengths. It has to be a committee approach."

Letang said he respected the NHL's decision to suspend him for one game, but added that he never intended to hurt Johansson, who didn't practice Tuesday or skate Wednesday morning. Capitals coach Barry Trotz said Johansson would be available to play though in Game 4.

Letang stepped up on Johansson and caught him in the face with an elbow early in the Penguins' Game 3 win.

"There's no malicious intention there," Letang said. "If you look at it, I stride in front of him, the result of it is the result of it, but I just want to say, there was no malicious intention."

He hoped the Penguins would rise in his absence. Pittsburgh was badly outshot in Game 3, hanging on for the 3-2 victory.

"It's going to be tough, but we've been battling through injuries all year long," Letang said, noting Evgeni Malkin's lengthy absence at the end of the regular season. "Guys step up and there's guys that will rise to the occasion."