Rust Comes Up Clutch

There was a lot on the line heading into tonight's rematch with Washington.
The Penguins and the Capitals, who are the top two teams in the East, entered the game with 69 points apiece - which meant the contest was a huge four-point swing as the clubs battle for playoff positioning and home-ice advantage.
So it should come as no surprise that Mr. Elimination came up clutch, as Bryan Rust tends to play his best hockey against this opponent at this time of year. He scored twice in Pittsburgh's 3-0 victory to reach 100 career goals and help the Penguins move into first place in the East.

"I couldn't be happier for him or more proud of him," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I just think he's really turned himself into a real impact player. He understands how to play to his strengths. I think he's developed his offensive game as good as any young player that that that I've been around in 20-something years coaching in this league.
"So I can't say enough about Rusty and what he brings to this team and the person that he is. He's a terrific person, he's a great teammate, but he is one hell of a hockey player."
Rust's evolution has truly been remarkable. These days, he doesn't just rise to the occasion at certain moments - he does so consistently. The 28-year-old winger now has 22 goals in 52 games this season after scoring a career-high 27 goals in 55 games last season.
"He's been a great player for us for years, and you see that with him scoring two great goals tonight, two breakaways," goaltender Tristan Jarry said. "Him able to put the puck in the net like that, I think it's great and it helps our team a lot. He's scoring timely goals for us. I think we all have a sigh of relief when he's able to do that."
And both tallies were great examples of just how confident Rust has become in his offensive abilities while staying true to his defensive roots.
On the first tally, which came less than three minutes into the first, Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway lost his footing in the neutral zone. Rust was right there to scoop up the puck and go in on a breakaway. With linemate Sidney Crosby trailing him, he didn't try to force a drop pass. Instead, Rust opted to shoot, snapping a wicked shot past Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov to open the scoring.

On the second tally, which came just 26 seconds into the second, Washington won the offensive-zone draw back to Dmitry Orlov. Rust trailed the defenseman as he dragged the puck to the center point and came up with a big shot block.
The puck skittered into the neutral zone, and from there, it was a foot race between the two players. While Orlov did have to turn and pivot, he had a couple steps on Rust - who used his speed and made a terrific play to poke the puck to himself, power around Orlov and produce a slick forehand-backhand-forehand move for the score.
"I don't know why you would change what made you successful in the first place," Rust said. "Blocking shots, taking hits, doing the little things, I think those things still matter. I just tried to develop the rest of my game, and it was nice to see it come together in that play."

Rust is simply playing at a phenomenal level right now, and the scary part is he may raise his game even higher at the end of the month. That's when he and his wife Kelsey are set to welcome their first child, and Rust joked at the start of the season he may get some Dad strength around that time.
For now, Pittsburgh's third-round pick in 2010 is going to enjoy the accomplishment of 100 career goals, and hopes to just keep rolling.
"It's definitely pretty cool," Rust said. "It's not that easy to score in this league. To be able to get 100 is definitely a pretty cool milestone and something that I'm definitely going to look back on and cherish that in the future. Hopefully there's a lot more to come."