Penguins Lose Key Playmaker To ‘Week-To-Week’ Injury

The Penguins will be without one of their best playmakers moving forward, with Bryan Rust hitting the shelf with a lower-body injury.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan announced Tuesday morning that Rust is going to be sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to an injury that he suffered against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel.

Rust missed the season-opener against the New York Rangers before making his season debut a few nights later, and his performance in the weeks since has been a mixed bag. Pittsburgh saw him score three goals in eight games, but the defense became a legitimate problem on the top line.

Rust was run into the boards in the third period by Vancouver’s Nils Hoglander, giving a visibly upset response in the direction of either a referee or an opposing player.

The Penguins are expected to elevate forward Evgeni Malkin to the top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.

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