He may not be scoring goals, but Bryan Rust is still making an impact for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It hasn't been a typical season for Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust. Playing on the first year of a brand new contract, Rust has had to find different ways to contribute to the Penguins this season.
Rust is one of the Penguins better snipers, scoring over 20 goals in the past three seasons. However, this season he has only lit the lamp 11 times and is on pace to finish with only 18 goals the entire season.
Rust's lower than normal goal scoring can be attributed to his uncharacteristically below-average shooting percentage. Rust is scoring on 8.7 percent of his shots this season, the lowest his shooting percentage has been since 2015-16.
Another reason is the play of his linemates, Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. Guentzel continues to be the other triggerman on the Penguins top forward line, but Crosby has made more of a point to score goals this season instead of being a pass-first facilitator.
The Penguins captain is on pace for 40 goals this season which would be his highest total since 2016-17 and the third-highest of his career.
That leaves Rust with fewer scoring opportunities at 5v5, but that's not the only factor. Rust has split time with Rickard Rakell on the Penguins top power-play unit this season, only scoring twice on the man advantage. His penalty kill usage climbed way up compared to his previous three seasons (when he was pacing 30 goals each year).
Rust may not be scoring at the pace we've seen in the past, but he has continued to carve out a role and figured out a way to deliver in different ways for the Penguins this season.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins