Penguins Lose Key Playmaker to Injury

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without a key forward as he recovers from a lower-body injury.

Oct 26, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust (17) skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a rough start to the 2024-25 season, and the road just got a bit bumpier with a key injury. Bryan Rust was an early exit from the Penguins lineup in their loss to the Vancouver Canucks when he suffered a lower-body injury.

Following their loss, the Penguins had a few days off, but Rust did not hit the ice with his teammates at a recent practice. Ahead of their contest against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Mike Sullivan stated that Rust would be out on a week-to-week basis.

Mike Sullivan said Bryan Rust is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Joel Blomqvist gets the start tonight against Minnesota.

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) October 29, 2024

Following the incident that took him out of the game, Rust was visibly upset at the situation. Yelling from the bench at either an official or a Canucks player.

Rust’s injury seemed pretty brutal, so only being out on a week-to-week basis might be a positive sign for the Penguins. They’re struggling to produce offense, and Rust is expected to take big strides in goal-scoring without Jake Guentzel around.

In eight games played so far this year, Rust had three goals and had an early pace of about 30 on the season. Without him in the lineup, the stumbling Penguins will have to find new areas to produce from.

Evgeni Malkin got off to a hot start, but has cooled quite a bit in recent games. Sidney Crosby hasn’t been anywhere near himself yet this year. Both Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson are having lousy starts, as well.

The Penguins need to find a turnaround quickly if they want to sneak into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Without Rust for the time being, that will be a tall task.

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