Evgeni Malkin is confident that the Pittsburgh Penguins will pick up steam as the season rolls on. One week ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in a tough spot, losing Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell to injury. Fortunately, Rust's injury was much less severe, and he is on track to potentially return as early as this evening in Nashville, but where will he play? The Penguins' top line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust has been one of the best in hockey this season. All three sit in the top five of scoring for the Penguins, and two (Crosby and Guentzel) have over a point per game through 20 games. However, it may be better for the Penguins to have Rust play on their second line when he returns from injury. Due to Rust's injury, Drew O'Connor has stepped in on the top forward line, and they haven't missed a beat. In three games, that line has out-chanced their opponents 37-16 and has accounted for two of the Penguins' five goals. O'Connor picked up an assist on the Penguins' opening goal against the Maple Leafs. Playing with Crosby is not entirely new to O'Connor. The 25-year-old winger lined up with the Penguins captain for a few preseason games this year, most notably picking up two goals against the Buffalo Sabres in preseason action. His speed and aggressive style are similar to Rust's, without the high-end scoring touch. With O'Connor's success on the first line, it would benefit the Penguins to allow him to grow in that role. Not only would this benefit O'Connor, but it would benefit the rest of the Penguins lineup. Rust would figure to play alongside the struggling second line with Evgeni Malkin and Reilly Smith. Those two have combined for one goal, Malkin's empty netter against Vegas, in the Penguins previous six games. Adding a complete player like Bryan Rust could spark those two back into the success they found early on in the season. Meanwhile, it pushes a player like Alex Nylander into a more natural role in the Penguins' bottom six. Rust's return, whether tonight or later this week, is massive news for the Penguins. But his short absence may have helped Pittsburgh find a new option for Sidney Crosby's right side. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpbLPoqURhk[/embed] Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Penguins Release Defenseman From AHL PTO [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-release-mark-pysyk-ahl-pto] Time for Penguins To Open Experiments With Power Play [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/time-pittsburgh-penguins-experiments-power-play] Penguins vs. Predators: Battle of .500 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-nashivlle-predators-battle-500] Panthers to Honor Patric Hornqvist Against Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/florida-panthers-honor-patric-hornqvist-pittsburgh-penguins] Penguins Need Fresh Face on Top Power Play [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/pittsburgh-penguins-fresh-face-top-power-play] * undefined * undefined
