Penguins, Bryan Rust rout Flyers for 10th consecutive win
Bryan Rust’s 2021-22 season has been far from perfect.
When you’ve missed 18 of a possible 33 games because of various injuries, there’s nothing even close to a covalent bond with perfect.
But all that downtime for the Penguins first liner — combined with a lengthy break for games recently postponed by the NHL for covid-19 concerns — did some good.
“Those extra practices that I got in with the postponed games, I think that helped a lot,” Rust said on Wednesday. “Just being able to get those (repetitions) in, get that chemistry back with my line, get that confidence back, shooting the puck, making plays, things like that, that did go a long way.”
That was evident Thursday as Rust scored twice and led the Penguins to a lopsided 6-2 road win at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center against the depleted Flyers, who were missing nine players because of covid-19 concerns as well as injuries.
It was the Penguins’ 10th consecutive win, matching the franchise’s fifth-longest such streak.
With Rust having scored seven goals in his past three games since returning to the lineup, Fe₂O₃ might as well be the formula for averaging a two and a half goals per contest.
“He’s playing at a high pace right now,” linemate Jake Guentzel said to media in Philadelphia on Thursday. “It’s fun to watch and be a part of it. When he’s shooting like that and playing with his speed, he can be one of the better players in this league.”
Rust and the Penguins struck first on a power-play opportunity 12 minutes, 21 seconds into regulation.
After Evan Rodrigues forced Flyers defenseman Cam York into a turnover on Philadelphia’s right wall, Sidney Crosby settled the puck and dished a pass to the high slot. From there, Kris Letang surveyed the zone for a moment before sliding a pass to the left of the crease for Rust, who shuffled in a bad-angle forehand shot behind out-of-position Flyers goaltender Carter Hart for his eighth goal of the season. Letang and Crosby had assists.
Rust scored again at 14:55 of the first period on a four-on-four sequence. After Rodrigues had a wrister from above Philadelphia’s right circle blocked by Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula, the rebound skidded to the slot, where Rust barged in, settled the puck with his left skate and pushed a forehand shot through Hart’s five hole. Rodrigues and Letang collected assists.
Guentzel got in on the act with his team-leading 17th goal only 1:21 later. As the four-on-four sequence expired, Letang controlled the puck deep on the Flyers’ end boards. Maneuvering toward the left of the cage, Letang snapped a pass through the crease for Guentzel, who was able to jab a forehand shot Hart denied with his left leg. On the ensuing rebound, Guentzel put another shot off the near post then another shot over the goal line.
Hart gloved the puck and immediately pulled it out of the cage. Officials reviewed video of the sequence and determined Guentzel had scored and put the Penguins up by three. Assists went to Letang and defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
“I actually didn’t think it was in,” Guentzel admitted. “He made a nice save on the first one, the pad. Then I hit the post. I wasn’t too sure.”
The Flyers’ first goal came at 8:10 of the second period. After Penguins defenseman John Marino failed to catch a clearing attempt in the neutral zone, Flyers forward Joe Farabee created a two-on-one rush with forward Cam Atkinson against Dumoulin. Off a backhand pass from Farbee, Atkinson boomed a slapper from above the left circle past goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker on the near side for his 14th goal. Farabee and forward Scott Laughton netted assists.
Rodrigues scored his 15th goal on a breakaway to put the Penguins back up by a field goal 8:50 into the final period. Flyers forward Max Willman lost a puck at the offensive blue line to Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen, who chipped a puck past the opposite blue line, springing Rodrigues on a breakaway. Attacking the net, Rodrigues deked heavily to his backhand then tucked a forehand shot past the right skate of a sprawling Hart. The lone assist went to Kapanen.
Another breakaway goal, this time by Guentzel, at 10:20 of the third inflated the Penguins’ lead to 5-1. After Jarry denied Atkinson on a quality chance, Rust claimed the rebound on his own left half wall and pushed a pass up ice to Crosby in the neutral zone. In transition, Crosby tapped a forehand pass to Guentzel, darting past Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Moving in on the crease, Guentzel flipped a deceptive forehand shot over Hart’s glove. Crosby and Rust registered assists.
Penguins forward Brian Boyle contributed to the rout by scoring a short-handed goal, his fourth overall score of the season, at 11:51 of the third. After an offensive zone turnover by Flyers forward Kevin Hayes, Marino collected the puck and fed a simple pass to Boyle at the defensive blue line. Boyle lumbered through the neutral zone, gained the offensive blue line and elevated a wrister over Hart’s blocker that clunked off the cross bar and into the cage. Marino had the only assist.
The final goal was scored by Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom at 13:00. Chasing after a puck in the left corner of the offensive zone, Flyers forward Zach MacEwen backhanded behind the cage, where Flyers forward Morgan Frost tried to shuffle it to the front of the cage. The puck caromed off the chest of Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and bounced in front of the crease. Lindblom corralled it and put a wrister past Jarry’s blocker for his fourth goal. Frost and MacEwen had assists.
Jarry finished with 18 saves on 20 shots to elevate his record to 17-5-4 as his team’s winning streak reached double digits.
“We’re still trying to get better, too,” Boyle boasted. “That’s a pretty high standard. It’s just a great feeling. It’s such a high standard that comes (from) the coaching staff. But the people that are driving the bus are the leaders in how hard they work and what they demand of themselves. Everybody kind of falls in line. There’s a ton of encouragement. Guys kind of know where they fit, what they’re supposed to do.”
And Rust has been doing quite a bit as of late.
“He’s playing the game the right way,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “When he does, he’s getting good looks, and he’s been able to finish on them. He’s been on a torrid pace here the last few games, which is great for him. It’s great for our team. When he utilizes his speed and he hunts pucks and he hangs onto the puck and he takes what the game gives him out there, I think he gets a number of opportunities. He’s getting a lot of looks every night and he’s finishing on them. He could have had three tonight.
“That’s the game he’s playing for us right now.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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