Penguins' Rust week-to-week with lower-body injury

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Tuesday, per NHL.com's Michelle Crechiolo.

Rust suffered the ailment during Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. He struggled to put any weight on his right leg after being taken to the boards by winger Nils Hoglander in the third period.

The 32-year-old also missed the first two games of the season with a lower-body ailment. Rust has totaled three goals and four points in eight games of action while averaging 19:20 minutes of ice time per contest.

Without Rust, the Penguins loaded up the top line with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at Monday's practice:

In Pittsburgh's first two games without Rust this campaign, Crosby spent time with Anthony Beauvillier, Drew O'Connor, and Rickard Rakell on his wings.

A fixture of the Penguins' top six, Rust has hit the 20-goal mark in each of the previous five campaigns and has reached 50 points on three occasions, including last season.

His absence is a hit for the struggling club, which has lost five straight games while being outscored 21-10 over that span. The Penguins currently sit in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division with a 3-6-1 record.

Selected by the Penguins in the third round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Rust has amassed 175 goals and 376 points in 575 career contests.