![]() “We were trying to manage his minutes and workload. “We took him away from the penalty kill there for a period of time over the last couple years because he was on the first power play and playing in the top six. “He earned his way into this league by being a real good penalty-killer,” coach Mike Sullivan said of Rust. So far this season, Rust has played 61 minutes, 42 seconds on the penalty kill, which already is his most since 2019-20. He knows where it’s tough to keep control when there’s pressure (and uses) his speed, his stick (and) his hockey sense.” “But when you have a guy that plays also on the power play, he kind of knows what the play can be. “On the (penalty kill), you have guys that are great at blocking shots and have great sticks,” defenseman Kris Letang said. Jeff Carter (102 power-play shifts, 116 penalty-kill shifts) and Kasperi Kapanen (48 power-play shifts, 39 penalty-kill shifts) are the team’s only other forwards deployed on both special teams units.Īs the Penguins progress through All-Star weekend, the penalty kill remains one of the more dependable facets of their overall game, ranking 11th in the NHL at 81.1%.įrom a penalty killer’s perspective, reading opposing players is crucial.Īnticipating a cross-ice pass or what the opposition aims to do with the puck in the offensive zone can make all the difference in getting clears and neutralizing a given power-play try.įor Rust, having racked up plenty of time on the power play over the years, it translates to obvious advantages when he is plugged back into the penalty kill. This season, Rust has recorded 131 shifts on the power play compared to 120 penalty-killing shifts, per Natural Stat Trick. Of the Penguins’ current top-six forwards - Crosby, Malkin, Rickard Rakell, Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker and Rust - he is the only player routinely used on the power play and penalty kill. What makes Rust unique is he also is utilized as a penalty-killer, something he specialized in dating to his collegiate career at Notre Dame and earlier.Īs Rust put it: “I’ve penalty-killed for as long as I can remember.” Rust has been featured on the power play for several years, logging a career-high 206 minutes, 25 seconds on the man-advantage last season, per Natural Stat Trick, in addition to setting career bests in power-play goals (nine) and assists (12). “Rust plays a high-motor game that allows him to be effective in many different assignments all over the ice.”Īs far as being “effective in many different assignments all over the ice,” Rust, now 30 and in his ninth season with the Penguins, has lived up to that projection since being selected in the third round.įor the majority of his NHL career, he has served as a top-six forward, regularly skating with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports.Ahead of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the prospects website Hockey’s Future described then-18-year-old forward Bryan Rust as follows: We're sure that will get the league's attention right away. If reporters wanted to complain via social media, they should really direct their tweets to instead. Yes, the game was getting chippy, but Hockey Operations - not the Department of Player Safety - oversees the officials. These media members, who shall remain anonymous, complained to Player Safety about their officials allowing this game to get out of hand. ![]() There were a couple members of the (cough, cough, Pittsburgh, cough) media tweeting TO DoPS about the officiating in the game. He doesn't adjust his body position to avoid contact. The boarding call is what they'll focus on, as the hit appears to be delivered within the allowable and brief fractions of a second after Rust touches the puck. ![]() We've confirmed the Department of Player Safety is looking into the hit further, and will decide whether or not to impose supplemental discipline. He returned, and 3:34 after the hit that gave the Penguins the man advantage, Rust assisted on Pittsburgh's sixth goal of the game. Rust, who appeared to be injured on the play, left the bench for a short period of time. ![]()
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