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Pittsburgh Penguins scratch Blake Lizotte after suffering injury, confirm Stuart Skinner vs Bruins
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
PenguinsPR and Josh Getzoff set the stage, but the real sting is this, the Acciari Dewar Lizotte line has allowed just seven 5v5 goals against in 250-plus minutes.
That is why Blake Lizotte going day-to-day matters more than "fourth line guy" talk, especially with Pittsburgh chasing points at 31-15-13.
The PenguinsPR post made it official, lower-body injury, no Lizotte tonight versus Boston.
Josh Getzoff added the crease note, saying the coaching staff confirmed Stuart Skinner would start against Boston.
Lizotte has 7-12-19 in 49 games, and he eats tough penalty-kill minutes without blowing the zone early.
Here's the tricky part, every lineup domino off that line changes what Dan Muse can trust late in periods.
Blake Lizotte absence tests Pittsburgh Penguins identity
You can feel the fanbase bracing for chaos, because "next man up" sounds cute until Boston's forecheck starts chewing.
Skinner gets the net and PensBurgh noted Arturs Silovs played yesterday, so this is about managing two starters down the stretch.
The cap layer is quiet but real too, Lizotte carries a $2.25M cap hit, and that is the type of contract you build depth around, not replace overnight.
Against a Bruins team riding a 10-game home win streak, Pittsburgh needs clean exits, not hero shifts from the bottom six.
Tonight is about surviving the middle of the ice, then getting to Thursday's homestand still in control of the Metro.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Penguins' Blake Lizotte absence forces Pittsburgh lines shuffle, Kindel jumps to 1C
Penguins' Blake Lizotte absence forces Pittsburgh lines shuffle, Kindel jumps to 1C
| POLL | ||
MARS 3|159 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins scratch Blake Lizotte after suffering injury, confirm Stuart Skinner vs Bruins Should the Pittsburgh Penguins rush Blake Lizotte back this week? | ||
| Yes | 37 | 23.3 % |
| No | 122 | 76.7 % |
| List of polls | ||