When Bryan Rust speaks, he isn’t prone to ambiguity.

He gets to the point.

On the first day of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp, Sept. 18 in Cranberry, the versatile top-six winger was asked what his goals were for the 2025-26 season.

“Dragging this team that nobody thinks can make the playoffs into the playoffs,” Rust said curtly.

Those bold ambitions were realized 205 days later as Rust and company qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 5-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

For the first time since 2022, the Penguins — who many forecast to have another long summer — will participate in the postseason.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner, who returned to the lineup after recovering from a facial injury near his left eye that led to him being scratched for a game Sunday, stopped 19 of 21 shots, improving his record to 23-16-9.

“It’s just excitement,” Skinner said Tuesday in PPG Paints Arena when asked about the prospect of qualifying. “We’re excited for the opportunity to do that. … I know that everyone in this room is going to do absolutely everything we possibly can just to make sure that that happens. Just pure excitement.”

Further excitement was generated in Michigan on Thursday as the Philadelphia Flyers suffered a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. That result secured second place in the Metropolitan Division for the Penguins, along with home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“That’s why you play,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said to reporters in Newark via audio provided by the team’s media relations department. “That’s the best time of year.”

Thursday’s triumph was achieved without the services of Penguins forward Connor Dewar, who was scratched due to an undisclosed injury. Via social media, the team labeled him as “day to day.”

It marked Dewar’s first missed game of the season. He entered the day with the Penguins’ longest active consecutive games streak at 95, having not missed a game since he joined the team via trade on March 8, 2025.

His absence leaves forwards Anthony Mantha and Tommy Novak, as well as defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, as the team’s only players who have yet to miss a game this season.

Rust opened the scoring by registering his 29th goal of the season on his team’s first shot of the contest, 4:53 into regulation.

Stealing a puck at the right point of New Jersey’s zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang fed a pass to the slot for Penguins forward Egor Chinahkov. Veering a bit into the left circle, Chinakhov slipped a clever pass to the opposite dot where Rust one-touched a forehand shot to the near side past the glove of hapless goaltender Jake Allen. Chinakhov and Letang had assists.

FIRST SHOT – FIRST GOAL!

THESE PENS WANT IN THE PLAYOFFS! ????️ ???? pic.twitter.com/LpvEVR55TU

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 9, 2026

Both teams exchanged scores throughout the second period, starting with Devils forward Paul Cotter’s ninth goal at the 9:51 mark.

Settling a puck near his own left corner, Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton flipped it up ice to the neutral zone. Slipping behind Penguins defensemen Erik Karlsson and Wotherspoon, Cotter accepted the puck and generated a breakaway. Hustling in on net, Cotter tucked a backhander past Skinner’s left skate. Hamilton and forward Brian Halonen harvested assists.

Paul Cotter – New Jersey Devils (11) pic.twitter.com/j2BYrmws3t

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 10, 2026

Novak restored a lead with his 16th goal at 11:43 of the second frame.

Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Karlsson fed the puck to the slot for forward Evgeni Malkin, who offloaded it to the lower right circle, where Novak immediately swiped a forehand shot over Allen’s glove on the near side. The score snapped a 12-game skid without a goal for Novak. Malkin and Karlsson collected assists.

YOU JUST FELT THAT ONE COMING!

TOMMY NOVAK FOR THE LEAD ???? pic.twitter.com/NWoj9BdTrT

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 10, 2026

Chinakhov got in on the act only nine seconds later with his 21st goal.

After Crosby won the ensuing faceoff after Novak’s goal, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea corralled the puck, retreated to the Penguins’ right circle and air-mailed a pass to the far blue line. Chasing the puck as it trickled through New Jersey’s slot and into the right circle, Chinakhov gathered it, fended off Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and snapped a backhander past Allen’s glove on the near side. Shea and Crosby claimed assists.

pic.twitter.com/bICGa7gw12

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 10, 2026

Devils forward Jack Hughes’ 26th goal came at 15:07 of the second.

Off a short-area pass by Siegenthaler from the left point of the offensive zone, Hughes curled around in the high slot, eyed up a shooting lane and fired a wrister which glanced off the stick of Wotherspoon and deflected past Skinner’s blocker. Assists were secured by Siegenthaler and former Erie Otters forward Connor Brown.

Jack ties Nico for the goal scoring lead for the season as he cuts the deficit to one. pic.twitter.com/wE41Dh4e06

— Duck Duck Gusev ???????????? (@DuckDuckGusev) April 10, 2026

Malkin found his 19th goal at 6:50 of the third period.

From the left point of New Jersey’s zone, Shea banked the puck to the end boards, where Chinakhov used his right skate to kick a pass to the left of the crease. Crosby accepted the puck and dragged it across the front of the crease but was unable to get a true shot off from the right of the blue paint. After Crosby fired the puck into Allen’s backside, Malkin barged in from the rigth circle to clean up the rebound with a forehand shot. Crosby and Chinakhov had assists.

pic.twitter.com/oiJ8dMdKJB

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 10, 2026

Karlsson capped the scoring with his 15th goal on an empty net at 17:00 of the final frame. Wotherspoon and forward Noel Acciari accrued assists.

pic.twitter.com/7Q50ED5tQp

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 10, 2026

The Penguins don’t know who or when they’ll play in the playoffs. Teams below them in the standings still have to fight it out for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Whoever that may be, the Penguins vow to do what they’ve done during the regular season.

“Guys in here really rose to the occasion,” Rust said in Newark. “Obviously, we’ve got to rise a little bit more.”

Notes:

• Karlsson (175 points) surpassed forward Pat Boutette (174 points) for 49th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Skinner (12-8-5) surpassed Joe Daley (11-18-6) and Rob Holland (11-22-9) for 36th place on the franchise’s career goaltending wins list.

• Along with Dewar, Penguins forwards Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte were scratched due to undisclosed injuries.

• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov and Jack St. Ivany were healthy scratches.

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