Penguins forward could face opening-night suspension after ugly missed spear by Blake Lizotte

PUBLICATION

Skyler Walker
April 30, 2026  (10:35)

SHARE THIS STORY

Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Blake Lizotte may have handed Dan Muse an ugly opening-night problem after a missed spear on Porter Martone in Pittsburgh's season-ending loss.

The play itself is the story now, not the final score. Pittsburgh's season is over, and that changes the fallout right away.

If the NHL's Department of Player Safety decides Lizotte crossed the line, any suspension would not be served in these playoffs.

It would roll straight into Game 1 of the 2026-27 season.

That is the part the Penguins can't shrug off. A missed call on Wednesday can still hit their lineup months from now.

Martone doubled over at the top of the crease after Lizotte drove his stick upward in traffic, and the officials let play continue like nothing happened.

That clip is going to get a long look because it is not a gray-area hit on the forecheck or a messy net-front tie-up.

It is a stick infraction with no whistle and no in-game penalty attached.

The video has already taken off online and the sequence is easy to isolate frame by frame.

-

The timing makes this sting more for Pittsburgh. The Penguins were eliminated in Game 6, so there is no next playoff game available to burn off discipline.

That leaves Muse staring at a problem that could still be on the board when camp is over and the regular season opens.

No coach wants his bottom six scrambled before the first puck drop.

Pittsburgh finished 41-25-16 and grabbed second place in the Metropolitan Division, which made this postseason feel like a step back into the fight.

Ending it with a player safety question is a rotten final note.

It also lands on a roster that already has real summer tension.

Evgeni Malkin, Anthony Mantha, Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar and Connor Clifton are all pending unrestricted free agents.

So even a short ban matters. If Lizotte gets 1 game, that is not just a headline for April.

It becomes a lineup story for October.

And the NHL has every reason to make an example of the play if it sees intent.

Spears are the kind of action the league usually treats hard because they are deliberate, dangerous, and easy to identify on video.

For the Penguins, that is the danger now. Their season ended Wednesday night, but Blake Lizotte may not be done paying for it.

Previously

Nikita Kucherov at the center of strange locker room moment after game 5 loss to Canadiens

Nikita Kucherov's overlooked Game 5 play could lead to NHL punishment

Sidney Crosby sparks reaction after Penguins� painful elimination

POLL
AVRIL 30   |   335 ANSWERS Penguins forward could face opening-night suspension after ugly missed spear by Blake Lizotte Should the NHL suspend Blake Lizotte for Pittsburgh's first game of 2026-27 ?
Yes	245	73.1 %
No	90	26.9 %
LIST OF POLLS

À LIRE

Il y a 55 minutes  |  Par William Nadeau La vraie raison pour laquelle le but controversé de Phillip Danault n'a même pas été révisé est révélée

Il y a 2 heures  |  Par William Nadeau La LNH dévoile déjà la date du premier match contre les Hurricanes au troisième tour

Il y a 3 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Martin St-Louis ne mâche pas ses mots au sujet de Jakub Dobes et ça fait réagir

Il y a 4 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Martin St-Louis impose une interdiction surprenante à ses joueurs et ça fait réagir

Il y a 5 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Un coup dur frappe un attaquant vedette en pleine série entre le Canadien et les Sabres

Il y a 6 heures  |  Par William Nadeau On connaît maintenant l'interprète de l'hymne national pour le match ultime du Canadien

Il y a 8 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Un attaquant du Canadien viendrait d'être retiré de l'alignement avant le match et les détails sont connus

Il y a 8 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Une décision majeure se confirme dans le dossier Brendan Gallagher et un autre joueur écope

PLUS DE CHRONIQUES