The clock was ticking down on the latest Penguins loss — this one cratering their playoff odds — when Bryan Rust did a very Bryan Rust thing.
The top line had not quit and was all over the New Jersey Devils in puck pursuit with three minutes left Tuesday. With two teammates below the goal line, Rust patiently waited for his opening. It came when the play drifted into the left corner. He darted in, whacked the puck free and immediately skated to the net front.
Sidney Crosby found him, and Rust put his point-blank backhand shot past Jake Allen. He didn’t even bother celebrating, not with the Penguins still down, 5-2.
That was sort of a microcosm for Rust’s whole season, another high-effort play and bright spot in what has become a bleak season for his underperforming club.
With 14 games left, Rust has already clinched his fifth straight 20-goal season. That’s all while continuing to be a dedicated defender and a heart-and-soul guy for the Penguins, who with Tuesday’s loss dropped to 13th place in the East.
Hours earlier, after Rust sweated through the morning skate here at Prudential Center, the winger said he’s quite proud to have become this caliber of a player.
“Obviously, it’s pretty cool when you can consistently score goals in this league. It’s something that if you told me a long time ago that I would be able to do it, I would have called you a liar,” he quipped. “But it’s something that I’m proud of.”
One way to get Mike Sullivan going is to ask him about Rust. He will grin as he reflects on how far Rust has come since he coached him in the American Hockey League. At that point — nearly a decade ago now — the collective assessment was Rust would only stick in the NHL as a penalty killer and bottom-six spark plug.
After all, he was a player who had topped out at just 17 goals at Notre Dame.
“I can’t think of a player in all the years that I have been around the game that their offensive game has developed to the level that Rusty’s has,” Sullivan said. “I think there’s a lot of reasons for that. We could talk for hours on the whys.”
Rust only needed about 10 seconds to sum up his streak of 20-goal seasons, which rolls on despite a few injuries and two campaigns shortened by COVID.
“I just try to keep my work ethic up, and a lot of my goals are from around the net,” the 31-year-old explained. “It doesn’t matter how things are going. If you’re going to the net and doing those things, you are bound to score some goals.”
To that point, Rust rarely scores from range. He is not much of a one-timer threat. And while his wrister has improved, it’s hardly overpowering. Not including empty-netters, three of his 21 goals were scored from above the hash marks.
Rust recognizes that he must dart into the dirty areas in order to light the lamp.
Unlike former Penguins speedster Kasperi Kapanen, Rust will use his speed to drive wide off the rush then lug the puck to the net. If he doesn’t have the puck on an odd-man rush, he heads right to the back post to stress the defense and post up for a tap-in try — not a bad idea when you play with that Crosby fella.
And when the Penguins create offense down low in the zone, Rust has a knack for converging on the net whenever there’s a rebound or an open passing lane.
In the last five seasons, Rust ranks among the NHL’s top 55 forwards in goals scored from the inner slot, deflection goals and goals scored off cycle chances.
On a per-game basis, just 45 NHLers — three being Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel — have scored more often from within five feet, per Sportlogiq.
Coaches at all levels preach to their players that they need to go to the net. But it is more than a mentality. Sullivan believes there is “a skill associated with it.”
“It’s going to the net at the right time [and] having the courage to get inside,” Sullivan said Tuesday morning. “I think Rusty plays the game with a lot of courage, first and foremost. But I also think he has the sense and the intuition to go to those areas at the right time, which affords him the opportunities that he gets.”
Despite being one of Pittsburgh’s leading scorers year after year, Rust has not abandoned the defensive side of the game. Sure, you may sacrifice a little there when you play for a top-heavy team that desperately needs goals. But Sullivan still views Rust as a trustworthy defender, evidenced by his late-game usage.
“You’ve got to remember where you came from,” Rust said earnestly. “Those habits and those things were instilled in me back when to when I played for the USA [national development] team. John Hynes was my coach. He was big on details. Then at Notre Dame, [coach Jeff] Jackson was the exact same way.”
Rust’s all-around game and playoff pedigree led to some NHL teams inquiring about his availability ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. The Penguins hung onto him. Of course, his no-movement clause was a factor. But he’s still here.
The odds that Pittsburgh will make the playoffs this season are slim. Their loss to the Devils here Tuesday put them at 2.2%, per Moneypuck’s calculations.
But as long as he pulls on a Penguins sweater, Rust will always strive for more.
“There’s just kind of been my mindset throughout my career,” Rust said. “[Even with] where I’m at now, there’s still more. I’m hoping to get 30 goals one day. I’m hoping to win more championships. There will always be more to accomplish.”
