Rust’s new look provides levity and maybe a little bit of luck, too

NEWARK, N.J. — Bryan Rust reached his stick high above his head, like a lumberjack about to split a log, and then let loose.

His stick snapped in half over the glass at Prudential Center, as teammates roared in laughter Friday at practice. Rust smiled along. What else could he do?

The Penguins had just capped practice with an elimination-style shootout competition, a light-hearted way to brighten the mood after losing Evgeni Malkin to injury and then losing on Thursday night in New Jersey to one of the NHL’s perennial cellar-dwellers.

It ultimately came down to Colton Sceviour, a fourth-line winger who hasn’t scored since the fourth game of the season, and Rust, the team’s most prolific goal scorer over the past two seasons. You can guess who lost.

By Saturday, the punishment for all those failed shots became clear. Rust emerged sporting a new mustache.

“I found a couple razors at the rink,” Rust said. “I found some shaving cream at the rink. I took it back to the hotel. I did it there.”

The shootout competition and “mustache boy” that went with it was something that was common during the Dan Bylsma era. For Rust, whose father battled prostate cancer, it’s a look he has sported before to raise awareness for men’s health.

Now, during this moment, the shootout and the ’stache provided a bit of levity in the middle of a tight playoff race and a stressful, injury-plagued stretch.

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“Definitely, it’s something we did to lighten the mood,” said Zach Aston-Reese, who stayed with the Rust family for a stretch during the height of the COVID-19 quarantine. “Rusty losing it was a cherry on top.” Hey, maybe it worked. After all those failed shootout attempts Friday, Rust scored a critical powerplay goal Saturday to help lift the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the Devils.

“I was just saving it for today, I guess,” Rust said, with a smile.

Over the past two seasons, no Penguins player has put the puck in the back of the net more than Rust. He led the club with 27 goals last year. This year, his 11 goals are tied with Sidney Crosby (11) and are second only to Jake Guentzel (13).

“I think just the level of comfortand confidence,” Rust said when asked what’s different at this stage in his career.

Two goalies critical

Casey DeSmith may have settled into his role as the clear-cut backup goalie. But if posted numbers like he has recently in a larger sample size, he just might be an All-Star.

No joke. He has been that good recently.

In his past seven games, he’s 4-3 with a 1.57 goalsagainst average and a .941 save percentage. Give the defense in front of him some credit, too. The Penguins on Saturday did an excellent job of forcing the Devils to the perimeter and limiting them to just eight shots from the slot.

“He’s really established himself as an NHL goalie,” coach Mike Sullivan said.

The Penguins know full well the value of two dependable netminders. They simply would not have won two recent Stanley Cups had Marc-André Fleury and Matt Murray not reached their peak performance at the same time. Time will tell the impact the Tristan Jarry-Casey DeSmith tandem has in the postseason.

But, already, having two goalies has been significant, especially given the unique structure of this season with 56games over a 113-day sprint.

“When you look at the nature of the league, in most normal years, but maybe even moreso in this year because of the condensed schedule, teams are almost required to utilize two goaltenders,” Sullivan said. “This year, for sure. We’re going through a stretch where we’re playing an awful lot of games in a short period of time. We’re trying to lean on both of these guys to get the job done for us.

“When Casey can come in and put on a performance like that, not only does it help us win but it also gives Tristan an opportunity to get some rest .”

Welcome back, McCann

Stick tap to Jared McCann. After missing five games with an injury, he returned to the lineup Saturday to center the second line. While he had his moments offensively, the more critical sequence came onthe opposite side of the ice.

With the Penguins hemmed in their zone, wingers Colton Sceviour and Anthony Angello were stuck on the ice for 2:29 and 2:49, respectively. McCann iced the puck to give his team a breather. Then, he blocked a shot off the ensuing faceoff to get tired bodies off the ice.