VANCOUVER -- Bryan Rust is week to week for the Pittsburgh Penguins because of an upper-body injury.
The forward was injured midway through the third period of a 7-6 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Rust, who had two goals and an assist in the game before the injury, is tied for fifth on the Penguins with 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) in 42 games this season.
With Rust out, forward Jesse Puljujarvi will enter the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, SN-PIT). He has no points in six games this season. Forward Reilly Smith will also move up from the third line to take Rust’s place on the top line, with Puljujarvi taking Smith’s spot on the third line after being a healthy scratch the previous three games.
Pittsburgh is also without forward Jake Guentzel because of an upper-body injury.
“We’ve always had that next-man-up mentality and injuries are part of the game, every team goes through it,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We have to find a way to rally around it and put out best game on the ice.”
Guentzel, who is on long-term injured reserve, skated before practice on Monday for the first time since sustaining his injury in a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Feb 14. He is second on the Penguins with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games, behind Sidney Crosby (60 points).
“We have some key guys out right now, but we can make up for that with collective effort and inspired play,” Sullivan said. “The leaders in this room, in my experience working with them over the years, they’ve never looked for excuses when key guys are out of the lineup, and we’ve had a fair amount of them over the years. They always just try to elevate their game.”
Pittsburgh (26-21-8), which has won two straight games, is seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division with four games in hand, and nine points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with five games in hand.
“Everybody has an opportunity here to play a little bit more of an elevated role because of the guys that we have out of the lineup, and it’s a terrific opportunity,” Sullivan said. “Focus on the details, bring your very best game, and for me, you don’t have to be someone that you are not. You need to be yourself and you need to be the best version of yourself, and that’s what we’re asking of our players.”
