Pittsburgh Penguins Announce Bryan Rust Has Been Placed on Injured Reserve

As the Pittsburgh Penguins attempt to end their five-game losing streak and play their way out of an early season slump, things won't get any easier.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a major announcement on X Tuesday evening, forward Bryan Rust has been placed on Injured Reserve. While Rust is out, this move gives the Penguins a roster spot. Valtteri Puustinen is most probably going to remain in the starting lineup for the Penguins.

In the third period of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Bryan Rust was lost due to what appeared to be a lower-body injury after an awkward collision with Nils Hoglander along the boards.

During Monday's practice, Mike Sullivan had shuffled the lines to make up for Rust's absence.

Before making his season debut, Rust had already missed the season opener against the New York Rangers. It has been somewhat of a mixed bag since he entered the lineup. Although he has scored three goals in the Penguins' first eight games, the team's top line has struggled, and his defensive contributions have been lacking.

However, considering Rust's history, you have to believe that he can and will recover. It is now imperative that the Penguins wait for that to occur while making the right adjustments in his absence.

Rust has reached 50 points three times, including last season, and scored 20 goals in each of the previous five seasons. His absence is hurting the struggling team, which has lost five in a row and been outscored 21-10 in those games. The Penguins are currently in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-6-1 record.

Penguins are currently facing former Penguins legend, Marc-Andre Fleury and his Minnesota Wild at home. The score stands at 3-2 in the second period.