Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that winger Bryan Rust (lower body) and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (upper body), who were hurt Tuesday at Columbus, are both out with “longer-term” injuries.
“He’s a good player for us,” Sullivan said. “Rusty brings a lot. He’s a good penalty-killer. He brings so much speed and puck pursuit to the lines that he plays on, and he’s been really good for us. It’s just part of the game. It’s going to provide opportunities for others to step up and play a more significant role. They’ve got to embrace that challenge, and we believe we have capable people.”
The status of the Penguins’ top-defense pairing, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang, hasn’t changed. Both remain day-to-day with injuries suffered against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
“Dumo is progressing but progressing but his status remains the same,” Sullivan said, “and that’s the same with Kris Letang.”
Dumoulin, Letang, Rust, Ruhwedel and defenseman Olli Maatta were the only Penguins who didn’t participate in practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Newly acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson arrived from Vancouver and practiced with the Penguins for the first time.
“We just have to have a next-man-up mentality,” Sullivan said, “and that’s how we’ve always approached it. We believe we have depth in our organization. We’ve got capable people. It’s going to provide opportunities for others, and guys have got to be excited about it and they have to raise their game.”
