Letang, Rust could play for Penguins against Flyers

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Kris Letang and Bryan Rust could return for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS, NHL.TV).

Each took contact during practice Friday for the first time since being injured, but were not in the lineup in a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Letang, a 31-year-old defenseman, missed his 10th game since sustaining an upper-body injury during the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 23. Rust, a 26-year-old forward, missed his ninth game with a lower-body injury and has not played since Feb. 26.
"I feel pretty good," Letang said. "I've been skating forever, so the conditioning is there. That's for sure."
Pittsburgh (39-24-9) has won seven of 10 games (7-2-1) without Letang and six of nine (6-2-1) without Rust. It is third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the New York Islanders and four behind the Washington Capitals. The Penguins are four points ahead of the fourth-place Carolina Hurricanes.
"There's a bunch of guys that have elevated their game, especially our leaders," Letang said. "You kind of see it in their game. Everybody kind of follows. We know we're in a difficult position. We have to fight for points."

Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby said he has been impressed with how Pittsburgh has performed without Letang and Rust, but is looking forward to having them back for at least some of the 11 remaining regular-season games.
"Anytime is a good time, I think," Crosby said. "You never want to see guys out of the lineup. [Injuries] came in bunches there so it would be great to get guys back. Whenever that is, I think guys have done a great job of filling in and we just have to make sure we keep playing the same way."
Letang leads Penguins defensemen with 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) in 60 games this season, including 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in his past 27 games.
Rust is tied for fifth on the Penguins with an NHL career-high 17 goals in 62 games this season; his previous high was 15 goals in 57 games in 2016-17.

"It's always good to be back with the guys," Rust said. "Just being around everyone, just going out there having fun with everyone and knowing that you're close. ... [The recovery has gone] a little faster than I expected. When I first got injured, it didn't feel very great then."
The Penguins did not do line rushes during practice Friday; Letang rotated on the second power-play unit; Rust worked on the penalty kill against the top unit.
When Letang returns, he likely will replace defenseman Zach Trotman on a pair with Brian Dumoulin.
Rust's position is more difficult to determine, but he could play second-line left wing in place of Zach Aston-Reese, who is out longer-term after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Rookie forward Teddy Blueger played there the past two games.
"I wouldn't consider [adjusting the lineup] a problem. It's a challenge," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "It's a good one to have. It means we have a real capable group of players here. The guys that have been in the lineup have done a terrific job, but obviously these guys that are coming back are important players for our team."