Penguins’ Blake Lizotte leaves with injury, will not return

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to battle injury challenges as center Blake Lizotte left midway through Tuesday’s game versus the Detroit Red Wings, with the club later announcing he would not return.

Lizotte left Tuesday’s game after a misdirected shot from linemate Drew O’Connor rode up and hit Lizotte in the face.

Lizotte, 26, had appeared in six games this season, registering two goals. He missed the first 11 games of the 2024-25 season after suffering a concussion in early October.

Signed as an unrestricted free agent in July, Lizotte is skating in his first season with the Penguins after spending part of the past six seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. The diminutive forward had seven goals and eight assists for 15 points through 62 games with the Kings last season, while the prior year he recorded a career high of 34 points in 81 games.

A Minnesota native, Lizotte signed with the Kings as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after spending two seasons with the St. Cloud State Huskies.

With Lizotte potentially sidelined, he joins three other Penguins forwards who are out of the lineup counting Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, and Matt Nieto.