Blake Lizotte injury: Why did Penguins forward exit game versus Detroit Red Wings?

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte left midway through the second period of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.

Lizotte was the victim of friendly fire as he took an accidental shot to the face from teammate Drew O’Connor. During the play, O’Connor shot the puck at the net. However, the puck flew directly into Blake Lizotte’s face, knocking him to the ice.

Check out the crucial moments here:

Fortunately, the injury looked much more gruesome than it was. Lizotte was able to get up on his own and skate away.

The Penguins announced, however, that Lizotte wouldn’t be returning to the game. The extent of his injury remains unclear for now. Lizotte’s departure seems more like a precautionary measure as the Pens’ medical staff determines if Lizotte could miss any playing time moving forward.

Lizotte could miss Friday night’s tilt against Columbus Blue Jackets depending on his injury status.

Penguins' comeback falls short without Blake Lizotte

The Penguins ended up losing the game 3-2 in overtime against the Red Wings. The Red Wings fell into a 2-0 deficit early in the second period after goals from Jonatan Berggren and a power play tally from Patrick Kane.

However, Pittsburgh didn’t give up, scoring twice in the second to tie the game. Bryan Rust and Anthony Beauvillier scored roughly five minutes apart to tie the game. The third period was scoreless, forcing overtime.

In overtime, the Penguins caught a bad break as a defensive miscue by Evgeni Malkin allowed Simon Edvinsson to buy the game-winning goal at 1:30 of the overtime frame. Malkin tripped and fell to the ice, enabling Edvinsson to get all the time and space needed to get the puck past Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic.

For the Penguins, the loss drops their record to 6-9-3. The Pens are still one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for the sixth spot in the Metro Division.

As for the Wings, the club improved to 7-7-1, tying them for fifth place in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres. The Wings are also one point back of the Ottawa Senators for fourth place.

Wednesday night’s game was the second meeting between the Penguins and Red Wings. The Penguins won the first meeting 6-3 on Oct. 10. The Wings’ Wednesday night victory evened the season series at one game apiece.

The third and final meeting between these two clubs will take place on Dec. 31 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.