Penguins' Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust elevating their games amid tight playoff race

King Jemison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 28, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Penguins’ top line never really got rolling before the Olympic break.

The team around them was dramatically better this season, but the trio of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust slightly regressed from the 2024-25 season, when they were the Penguins’ three leading scorers by a wide margin.

It didn’t look like it would get much better when Crosby got injured at the Olympics. Rakell and Rust played with a variety of linemates during Crosby’s 11-game absence — and again after he exited Thursday’s shootout win in Ottawa early in the second period.

But both players have elevated their games when the Penguins needed it most.

Rakell started slowly after moving to center. But since March 7, he’s recorded at least a point in 10 of the past 11 games. He had his first multi-goal game of the season Thursday against the Senators.

Rakell added a primary assist on Erik Karlsson’s second-period goal in Ottawa, as the Swedish Olympic teammates contributed to all three Penguins’ regulation tallies.

“The games are gonna be like this, probably, for the last stretch here,” Rakell told reporters in Ottawa. “Everybody wants to get in, and we want it so bad. So we got to do everything that we can to win hockey games.”

Rakell is doing his part. He’s up to 14 points in the past 11 games, tied for ninth in the NHL over that span.

One of the players he’s tied with is Rust, who’s riding a career-long nine-game point streak after picking up an assist on Rakell’s power-play goal in the third period Thursday.

Since the Olympic break, Rust has registered 19 points in 16 games, most among Penguins forwards. He almost single-handedly willed the Penguins to overtime against Carolina on March 10 with two goals and an assist.

And amid this streak, Rust hit a milestone that further cemented him as an all-time Penguin. Last Saturday, he became the ninth player in franchise history to play 700 games with Pittsburgh. Rust joined Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Mario Lemieux as the only players to hit that mark while spending their entire careers (so far) with the Penguins.

“Means I’m getting old, but it’s cool. I’ve come a long way since Game No. 1,” Rust said Saturday. “And to see my kids at warmup with signs ... made me think a little like, ‘Holy smokes’— 700 games later, coming from a fresh-out-of-college kid to now a family man. But it’s been one heck of a ride, and hopefully there’s hundreds more.”

The Penguins are probably hoping for that, too. Rust’s recent hot streak has put him in range of career highs for assists and points at age 33.

His leadership is also incredibly important for Pittsburgh — and it was on full display Thursday.

Rust was in obvious pain after a scary-looking collision in the third period against the Senators. He briefly went down the tunnel before shaking it off and returning to the game.

“He’s a huge part of this team. He’s a huge part of this organization. He’s an incredible person,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said Saturday. “It’s been awesome just getting to know him, getting to work together with him over this past year.”

The Penguins have outscored opponents 29-17 in Rust’s minutes since the Olympic break, according to Natural Stat Trick. Pittsburgh has a 27-15 advantage with Rakell on the ice over that span.

“Just been feeling pretty good lately,” Rakell told reporters after his three-point night in Ottawa. “Feel confident. Just try to trust what I’m doing out there, and then my teammates are setting me up pretty good.”

Rust and Rakell may have to continue producing without Crosby, who suffered a lower-body injury in the first period Thursday. The Penguins captain returned for a single shift to start the second period before leaving the game for good.

The Penguins canceled practice Friday in advance of their home tilt with the Stars at 5 p.m. Saturday. Dallas is one of the toughest remaining opponents on their schedule, though Pittsburgh’s back-to-back games at the New York Islanders and home against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday and Tuesday carry higher playoff stakes.

Pittsburgh also might continue to be without Evgeni Malkin, who’s missed the past two games with an upper-body injury and has been designated as day-to-day.

Those absences won’t sting so much if Rakell and Rust keep scoring. And Karlsson has picked up even more of the slack. The defenseman has 21 points in 14 games this month, ranking third in the NHL and first at his position by a wide margin.

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