The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have to wait a little longer for Blake Lizotte.
The team announced Monday that the 28-year-old forward is week-to-week with an upper-body injury after taking part in practice with his teammates on Sunday. He was then held out of Monday’s action because of the injury.
Lizotte gave Pittsburgh steady production during the 2025-26 regular season, finishing with seven goals and 19 points in 55 games. He also chipped in two assists in six playoff games.
The Penguins also said minor-league forward Oliver Okuliar is week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury during Sunday’s skate.
Lizotte is heading into his third season in the organization after signing with Pittsburgh as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2024. The Lindstrom, Minn. native later landed a three-year extension midway through the 2025-26 season, keeping him with the Penguins through 2029 at a $2.25 million cap hit.
His path to Pittsburgh started long before that. Lizotte skated for the USHL’s Fargo Force from 2015 to 2017, then spent two seasons at St.
Cloud State University. After putting up 42 points in 37 games as a sophomore in 2018-19, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent and made his NHL debut that same season.
Lizotte went on to play parts of six seasons with the Kings to open his NHL career, while appearing in just one AHL game over that stretch. He carved out a role as a reliable bottom-six forward and reached career highs in 2022-23 with 11 goals and 34 points in 81 games.
In Pittsburgh, Lizotte spent much of the 2025-26 season on a line with Connor Dewar and Noel Acciari. Dewar remains in the mix, but with Lizotte sidelined and Acciari now with the Penguins’ cross-state rivals, there should be more competition for fourth-line jobs when training camp arrives.
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Penguins Suddenly Have A Fourth-Line Opening Fans Didn't Expect
Blake Lizotte and Oliver Okuliar are both out week to week, and the timing leaves the Penguins with a hole they did not expect to be managing this close to the start of the regular season. Lizottes status for opening night is still uncertain, which puts a little extra weight on a fourth-line spot that was already going to be watched closely during camp.
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