The Pittsburgh Penguins' struggles continue with a loss at home to the Maple Leafs. There have been a few glaring issues nagging the Pittsburgh Penguins as of late and one of them has been the ineffectiveness of the first forward line. The trio of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust combined for a -13 rating in the Penguins loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rust has been particularly brutal as a member of the first line going his last six games without a single point. This recent slump should force the hand of head coach Mike Sullivan to slot Rust back on the second line, where he started the season. For the first handful of games of the 2022-23 season, Rust played with Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker where he had great success. Rust put up five points (2G-3A) in three games with Malkin and Zucker and the three were a big factor in the teams early wins. Not only was the second line thriving, but so was the first line with Rickard Rakell on a wing with Crosby and Guentzel. The numbers may not have been showing up right away for Rakell, but he looked like a useful piece for the dynamic duo of Crosby and Guentzel. Now, with a first line that is struggling, Sullivan shouldn’t be afraid to change the personnel to jump start the production. Through some drills in practice, it looked like Rakell was back up on the top line, and that could be a successful move. “We’re trying to find combinations that can have success,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got options at our disposal. We talk about these things daily.” It’s been clear that Rust has been snake bitten as of late and a little move like this could flip a switch. “Depending on how the team’s playing, certain lines are playing,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes we make little tweaks or adjustments here and there. As a coaching staff you try to be proactive to see if we can effect some positive change.” Rakell leads the Penguins in shots on goal and has had success with the first line before; Rust is in a drought and needs to be moved to open a new opportunity. Swapping those two again is a great way to jump start the Penguins offense which needs the boost. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! 3 Things to Watch: Penguins vs. Wild [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-3-things-watch-minnesota-wild] Mike Sullivan Says Penguins Are 'Invested' in Righting Course [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-mike-sullivan-invested-righting-course] Penguins Weekly Winners and Losers Highlighted by Second Line [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-weekly-winners-losers-second-line] Penguins Need Huge Improvements from Kris Letang [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-kris-letang-needs-improvements] Penguins First Line Continues Stretch of Poor Play [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-first-line-struggles-continue] * undefined * undefined
