Blake Lizotte Sidelined Again After One-Game Return

Overview

• Lizotte was activated from injured reserve and played in Wednesday’s 7-0 season opener at Philadelphia before the team announced he is being evaluated for a new lower-body injury and did not practice the next day.
• The Penguins provided no timeline for his recovery, leaving his one-game return temporary and forcing short-term lineup adjustments for coach Dan Muse.
• Ben Kindel returned to practice in a full-contact jersey and participated in line rushes, making him the likeliest immediate option to help the fourth line if Lizotte is unavailable.
• Pittsburgh has already shuffled its bottom-six by keeping the Hallander–Lapierre–Koivunen trio together and reassigning Rutger McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to manage depth for a compressed early schedule.
• Lizotte is a 28-year-old, physical fourth-line center who has missed long stretches in prior seasons (a combined 50 games in his first two years and 25 games last season), which increases the stakes of recurring availability for Pittsburgh’s penalty kill and lineup matchups.