Bryan Rust was a late bloomer in finding a consistent pace with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he may be regressing to former form.
If there was one flaw that plagued Bryan Rust through the early years of his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was his lack on consistent scoring.
It wasn’t until his sixth season with the Penguins that Rust finally came into his own as a full-time producer.
If anyone remembers during the 2018-19 season, Rust recorded only a single goal through his first 29 games.
It was the following year that was Rust’s coming out party when he scored 56 points (27G-29A) in 55 games.
Ever since then Rust has been a reliable piece in the top six, usually (and maybe stubbornly) playing alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.
As the calendar turns to 2022-23, however, is Rust starting a regression into his inconsistent form?
In 15 games this year, Rust has only picked up four goals and four assists for eight points.
With zero points in his last five games, things haven’t looked great for Rust on the first line.
The lack of scoring isn’t from a lack of effort though as he has averaged 18:39 minutes of ice per-night while recording 45 shots on goal, good for third on the Penguins.
Pucks reaching the net has been on the decline recently, though, as Rust has only recorded two shots in the last three games.
Not only is Rust struggling to put pucks on net, but opposing offenses are scoring at an increased rate.
Through the first 15 games, Rust has the second lowest +/- on the Penguins with a -5.
While +/- isn't usually a stat to grasp on to, it gets noticeable when the decrease happens at such a rapid rate; Rust grew his -5 in the last five games.
While the whole first line has started taking steps back, but Rust just hasn’t been producing at his normal rate.
Head coach Mike Sullivan loves shoving Rust on the first line, but if his play continues to look this poor, he should have no choice but you switch things up.
You can’t keep throwing the same group out hoping things will fix themselves, it’s important to be proactive.
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