Dangerous Blake Lizotte spear on Porter Martone sparks suspension talk
Porter Martone gave Rick Tocchet another nasty Flyers-Penguins moment when Blake Lizotte answered a crease collision with a spear.
This was not some harmless net-front tangle that died after the whistle.
The clip shows Martone knocking Lizotte back into his own goalie, and that alone was enough to light the whole sequence.
That part matters, because Lizotte did not react to nothing. He got driven into the crease area, lost his balance, and then came back angry.
But the answer is what changed the story. Lizotte came back and speared Martone.
That is why this sequence is going to hang around. In a playoff series already packed with extra shoves and after-whistle nonsense, a spear is a different level of reckless.
It also fits the feel of this matchup. The Flyers and Penguins have not needed much of a reason to boil over, and this gave both benches another one.
Here is the clip :
-
Lizotte crossed the line after Martone started the mess
That is the clean hockey read here. Martone created the collision, but Lizotte took it somewhere worse.
There is a difference between pushing back after getting dumped into your goalie and jabbing a player with your stick.
That is where discipline should start entering the conversation. Lizotte had a reason to be furious, but that does not give him a free pass to spear someone.
For Philadelphia, the moment still says something useful about Martone too. He keeps finding ways to get under skin, create disorder, and drag opponents into bad reactions.
That can be a huge playoff weapon when it is controlled. When a player keeps putting bodies into the blue paint, defenders start chasing payback instead of the puck.
For Pittsburgh, the danger is obvious. If Lizotte loses control like that, the Penguins hand the Flyers exactly the kind of emotional edge they should be avoiding.
And that is what makes this flashpoint matter more than a quick replay clip. It is not only about one jab.
It is about a series that keeps getting uglier, a rookie-like agitator in Martone stirring up more chaos, and a veteran in Lizotte taking the bait in the worst way.
If the league looks at it, the spear is the part that should draw the strongest attention.
Martone started the problem around the crease, but Lizotte made the choice that turned it into something much bigger.
|
LIVE
APRIL 29, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kirby Dach | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noel Acciari | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Denver Barkey | - | - | - | |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | - | - | - | |
| Alex Bump | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Noah Cates | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||