The Penguins got some seemingly positive updates on a key penalty killer just before the end of the regular season.
The Sportsnet Pittsburgh broadcast shared footage this weekend of Blake Lizotte, who has been sidelined since March 14 with an upper-body injury, skating and taking shots ahead of Sunday morning practice.
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“He’s continuing to progress,” Penguins coach Dan Muse told reporters before Sunday’s win over the Florida Panthers. “He has been on the ice some, so he’s progressing.”
When asked if there is hope Lizotte could return by the end of the regular season, Muse answered, “There’s always hope. He’s progressing. It’s been moving along, in a good place, but I’m not in a position right now to have an exact date. But he’s making good progress.”
Muse not ruling out the possibility that Lizotte returns before the end of the regular season is notable because that would be earlier than his initially projected recovery timeline.
The Penguins announced on March 17 that Lizotte would be re-evaluated in four weeks, a day that falls three days after the season wraps up on April 14.
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The acquisition of Elmer Söderblom, who has three goals in his last five games, has made the loss of Lizotte from the fourth line sting less at even strength.
But his absence from the penalty kill has been a factor throughout this final stretch of the regular season. The Penguins boasted the No. 2 penalty kill in the NHL (84.2 percent) until Lizotte’s injury, after which point the unit has ranked 30th with a 67.6 percent success rate.
The question for the Penguins could be who gets bumped out of the healthy lineup if Lizotte is able to return in time for the postseason now that Söderblom has made his case to stay with his size and physicality.
If Lizotte and Söderblom both stay in the lineup, the Penguins might end up looking at another winger like Justin Brazeau or Tommy Novak as the odd man out.
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Either way, the Penguins will hope Lizotte’s return to skating means he might be able to rejoin the team for a potential postseason run. The team first needs to clinch their ticket to the playoffs, which could happen as soon as Thursday with a road win over the New Jersey Devils.