Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte didn’t exactly offer much variance — or detail — in explaining their statuses after missing the final games of the regular season because of injuries.
“I’m ready to go,” Dewar said.
“Good to go,” Lizotte offered.
If they actually go into the lineup for the Penguins’ opening game of their first-round playoff series against the rival Philadelphia Flyers, that is still awaiting final approval from the team’s medical staff.
But Dewar and Lizotte said much more with their actions than words Thursday during a practice session in Cranberry as both players operated in a full-contact capacity in their typical stations on the team’s fourth line.
Lizotte, who still had a protective dressing on his right hand, missed the final 16 games of the regular season because of his injury. As for Dewar, he was sidelined in the last four contests with an unspecified ailment.
Though they weren’t overly expansive over their well-being, teammates were eager to explain their value to the club, particularly on the penalty kill.
“Those two guys are huge for us,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “You’ve been seeing it all year. They’re guys that are the first couple of guys over the boards all the time, and they do an amazing job. They’re huge reasons why our penalty kill was and is as good as it is.”
Soderblom moves up
With Dewar and Lizotte present for practice, forward Elmer Soderblom was bumped from the fourth line.
And promoted to the third line.
He skated on the left wing with rookie Ben Kindel at center and Anthony Mantha on the left wing. That left forward Justin Brazeau, a mainstay in the lineup when healthy, as a reserve.
During the regular-season finale, a 7-5 road loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, Soderblom scored a goal while skating on a line with Kindel and Mantha (who each recorded assists) as the Penguins dressed a lineup full of reserves while several established veterans rested.
DOWNRIGHT DISGUSTING! ????@espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnHpic.twitter.com/JM4it30gVb
— NHL (@NHL) April 15, 2026
Since arriving via a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on March 6, Soderblom (6-foot-8, 252 pounds) has generated a respectable 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 20 games while primarily playing on the fourth line.
“Yeah, there are tough decisions that need to be made,” coach Dan Muse said of his forward ranks. “(Soderblom has) done a great job just jumping right into the mix. You saw it really early on, him establishing his game here with our group. It’s just that combination of the size and the skating and the ability to get in on the forecheck, the ability to protect pucks. He does a great job tracking, too, and just disrupting plays.
“He’s a very large human (laughs), and he’s tough to handle and he can move pretty fast. But you see the skillset, too. I mean, the goal in St Louis was a beautiful goal. Not too many guys at that size can be able to combine the poise to be able to make that play. That’s just one instance. I think you’ve seen it more and more. You see him attacking the game with the puck, so it’s been great to see. And I also see, he’s a guy that there’s a lot of room where he can continue to grow and continue to build his game and continue to get better.”
Game 1 announced
The NHL announced Game 1 of the Penguins-Flyers series at PPG Paints Arena would be Saturday. While the league listed 8 p.m. as the start time, the opening faceoff will, in reality, happen several minutes after.
It remains to be seen when the rest of the first-round schedule will be revealed. As the league entered its final night of regular-season play Thursday, three Western Conference teams that have qualified for the postseason — the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings — were still trying to secure their seedings.
Typically, the NHL is hesitant to announce a full schedule until all seeding is determined.