Rust, Cullen latest Penguins with injuries, but no immediate signs either is serious

Two more Penguins, Bryan Rust and Matt Cullen, went down to injury Tuesday night during the 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena, but neither issue, at least on the surface, appeared to be serious.



Rust was lost to an apparent lower-body injury in the second period, Matt Cullen to a hit to the head by Columbus' Scott Hartnell in the third. Neither player returned, though both later emerged to participate in the annual sweaters-off-their-backs ceremony. Rust, wearing a suit, showed no limp or other visible sign of injury. Cullen, still in his playing uniform, also showed no negative sign.

It's uncommon to see players after they're hurt, so the sweaters-off-their-backs appearances, while hardly decisive, might have offered at least a glimpse at their status.

All Mike Sullivan would say about Rust and Cullen is that they're "being evaluated" and that the Penguins will have "updates in the morning."

Rust was hurt at 15:10 of the second, forechecking Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand. After trying to reach around his opponent, Rust raises his right leg and briefly reaches back toward the leg before raising his stick and immediately skating to the bench. He went right down the tunnel for treatment.



Little can be discerned from the video, other than that Bjorkstrand's skates never leave the ice in a dangerous way or make contact with Rust's leg. That would eliminate a skate cut from the equation.

Cullen's moment of injury, at 4:19 of the third, couldn't have been clearer:



He skates out from below the Pittsburgh goal line, loses the puck and lowers his head as Hartnell approaches. Hartnell was credited with nine hits, and more than one of them was questionable. On this one, the damage appears to happen primarily because of Cullen's trajectory, as well as lowering his head, though it's obviously open to interpretation.

Also possibly noteworthy from the sweaters-off-their-backs: Chris Kunitz, out with a broken foot, was the only player unable to participate. Carl Hagelin, who has the same issue, participated but was wearing a walking boot and used a carpet to get to the staging point. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley participated. Daley practiced Tuesday morning in a yellow non-contact sweater and is expecting to accompany the Penguins on their upcoming trip to Newark, N.J.

The Penguins are scheduled to practice at noon Wednesday in Cranberry Township, Pa.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY