Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte watched the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series on Wednesday night, defeating the host New York Yankees, 7-6, in Game 5.
But he didn’t necessarily have a rooting interest, even if he spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings.
“Just a sports fan,” said the native of Lindstrom, Minn.
He certainly had a reason to celebrate Thursday as he made his debut with the Penguins in a home contest against the Anaheim Ducks. The left-hander opened the contest as the team’s fourth-line center with Anthony Beauvillier on the right wing and Kevin Hayes on the left wing.
A concussion suffered during the preseason had kept him sidelined for more than a month.
“It’s been a long few weeks, a month or so,” Lizotte said after a morning skate in Cranberry. “Being with a new team, it’s exciting to have a chance to get in the action and be with the guys.”
Lizotte, an unrestricted free-agent signing in July, was injured during a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators in Sudbury, Ont. The contest was staged at the Sudbury Community Arena, the home venue of the Sudbury Wolves, a junior team that competes in the Ontario Hockey League. As such, the benches are located further into each attacking zone — compared to NHL venues — and those unfamiliar dimensions led to Lizotte being struck in the head by a puck.
“(Penguins defenseman Kris Letang) fired one into the bench, and I took it off the face,” Lizotte said. “Pretty unfortunate, but the staff here is great and got me back into a good spot.
“I don’t think anybody wants to be injured (in) preseason. But especially the way it happened was frustrating. But that’s hockey and sports. And that’s life. I try not to dwell on the bad things too much.”
What he focused on during his respite was getting as acclimated to his new team as best he could while recovering.
“It’s pretty hard moving to a new system as it is,” Lizotte said. “Usually, you get four or five preseason games and grasp it. But lots of video, lots of questions. Every game I try and watch it and watch the systems rather than just plays. It will definitely be an adjustment but I’m looking forward for the opportunity.”
Formally activated from injured reserve Thursday afternoon, the 26-year-old Lizotte had one goal in the two games he participated in during the preseason. Typically deployed as a bottom-six forward, he is the proverbial “energy” player. In other words, Lizotte (5-foot-9, 173 pounds) hits, harasses and vexes the opposition.
“He can provide energy, some grit, battle,” Penguins forward Lars Eller said. “He’s a gritty, hard-working player. Good on both sides of the puck. He can hopefully help drag us into games. We need every line to contribute and be hard to play against, and I think he can provide that.”
Lizotte knows what his game is rooted in.
“Energy and strong (defense),” Lizotte said. “And can create a few plays in the offensive zone. I think tenacity and just energy for the group is usually what I bring for most teams.”
Note: The Penguins activated forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Ponomarev had been sidelined since suffering a suspected left shoulder injury during a preseason game Oct. 1.
