Minnesota Wild vs Pittsburgh Penguins Match Player Stats On Dec 20, 2018

Bryan Rust scored twice Thursday, including the game-winner in the third period, as the Pittsburgh Penguins slipped past the visiting Minnesota Wild 2-1.

Jake Guentzel assisted on both Rust goals by creating turnovers. Eight of Rust's nine goals have come in the past six games.

The Penguins, who were coming off an emotional, physical win the night before at Washington while Minnesota cooled its heels that night in Pittsburgh, have won four of their past five games and are 7-3-1 in their past 11.

Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith, starting in what has been an alternating rotation lately with Matt Murray, stopped 40 of 41 Wild shots.

Pittsburgh defenseman Jack Johnson blocked six shots.

Jordan Greenway scored for Minnesota, which lost its third in a row and has just two goals in those three games.

Devan Dubnyk made 35 saves for the Wild.

Each team scored once in the first, followed by a scoreless second.

Greenway opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first with his sixth goal of the season. His rising blast from the left dot sailed over the right arm of DeSmith to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.

Rust answered at 13:30 of the first, thanks to a mistake by Dubnyk.

The Minnesota goalie was playing the puck behind his net. His reverse-direction pass was a turnover when Guentzel picked it off near the left corner. Guentzel made a quick centering pass to Rust, and Rust had an easy tap-in into a gaping net before Dubnyk could get back to make it 1-1.

It gave Rust a four-game goal streak for the first time in his career.

Rust's second came in a somewhat similar manner, at 8:12 of the third. Guentzel this time stole the puck from Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn in the left corner, crossed over behind the net and fed Rust at the right hash marks. Rust swiped the puck past Dubnyk.

--Field Level Media