Penguins make stunning last-minute lineup change due to Rust’s absence

The Pittsburgh Penguins are holding down the front while key players, most notably captain Sidney Crosby, are on the sidelines with injuries.

However, bad luck struck again during practice prior to tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets in Columbus when Bryan Rust got injured at the morning skate. 

Rust left practice early after tripping and falling into the boards. According to team insider Seth Rorabaugh, he crashed feet first and skated off the ice with a limp.

The Penguins therefore proceeded to the quick recall of Joseph Blandisi from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. However, he was not in the lineup either, presumably due to the logistics of traveling from Northeast Pennsylvania to Central Ohio with only a few hours of notice.

And so the Penguins had to quickly come up with a solution: Pittsburgh dressed defenseman Juuso Riikola as a forward. He manned the right wing of the fourth line with Alex Galchenyuk at left wing and Sam Lafferty at center. 

The poor guy: this is the fourth game this season Riikola had been used as a forward.

We wish him luck!