Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte had an excellent game on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte put on a show against the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
He was once again on the fourth line and was dominant in all three zones. Lizotte was especially great on the penalty kill and didn't let the Predators do anything when they had the puck. He was physical along the boards, getting his stick in shooting lanes, and an absolute pain below the goal line before eventually helping to clear the zone.
Even when he wasn't killing penalties, he was a menace on the forecheck, making life extremely difficult for the Predators. He was eventually rewarded with an empty-net goal to seal the Penguins' 4-0 win, snapping their three-game losing streak.
Lizotte is a player who doesn't get talked about enough. He does a lot of little things that you may not notice right away, but they help the Penguins win games, including on Sunday. He was on the ice for 66.6% of the scoring chances and had an expected goals for rate of 67.6%.
Injuries forced Connor Dewar, one of his usual linemates, up to the top line with Sidney Crosby, but once the team gets healthy, Dewar will be back down to the fourth line. The two have great chemistry together and are annoying to play against.
Lizotte may only have three goals and four points in 19 games this season, but don't let those numbers fool you. He's an important part of the bottom six, and his efforts all over the ice shouldn't go unnoticed.
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