Bryan Rust out injured on “week to week” basis

Not good news on the injury front

The Penguins gave some bad news on Tuesday, injured forward Bryan Rust will be out on a week-to-week basis, coach Mike Sullivan announced. Rust did not travel with the team on their Western swing. Rust scored two goals against the Flyers on Sunday but then was injured in the third period after getting hit twice in rapid succession.

Rust played 81 games last season, but his career has been riddled with injuries.

It’s a big loss for the Penguins, Rust had 36 points (18G+18A) in 42 games this season. He has been a large part of Pittsburgh’s first line — which is already absent another piece in Jake Guentzel. Guentzel, on long-term IR, has begun skating with the team once again but is ineligible to play until March 10th. (Assuming of course that Guentzel remains with the team following the March 8th NHL trade deadline).

In Rust’s absence, Reilly Smith has been promoted to have the first opportunity to play the first line to play with Crosby. It’s a huge difference in play this year, Smith and Rust have been on two different trajectories. Here’s both of their numbers since the arbitrary date of Thanksgiving:

• Rust: 25 games: 9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points (.80 points/game)
• Smith: 31 games, 4 goals, 8 assists (.39 points/game)

The difference has been stark since the All-Star break as well. Rust has nine points in nine games, and his seven goals in February leads the Pens. Smith has two goals and four points in that span.

The road ahead gets a little tougher for the Penguins, who know have to move on without one of their top forwards for the foreseeable future. Given the way Rust was holding his arm while leaving the ice, it was speculated he could have a broken bone or type of injury that might cost him several weeks.

Now is the worst time for that, Pittsburgh faces their most condensed, prolonged part of the schedule. Sunday started a gauntlet where the Penguins will play 14 times in 24 days and 19 times over 35 days through March 30th. The games are about to pick up and Pittsburgh will be facing that without their best two wingers for a significant chunk of it.