Penguins survive Bryan Rust’s JR Smith moment to win Game 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins survived Game 2 against the New York Islanders, but it wasn’t an easy feat thanks to a late gaff by Bryan Rust.

Rust routinely shows up as the postseason hero in Pittsburgh, so it’s odd to see him on the other side of this predicament. With the Penguins up 2-1 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Islanders, Rust forgot what sport he was playing.

The Pens’ winger suffered what can only be described as a brainfart, throwing the puck over the glass in his own zone. This, of course, is not allowed. Pittsburgh was called for a delay of game penalty, and had to finish off their Game 2 victory on the penalty kill. Even worse, the Islanders went with an empty net to make it a two-man advantage.

Bryan Rust commends Penguins penalty kill after Game 2

“I was just so worried about getting the puck over the blue line and getting it out of the zone that I made kind of a mental error there. It’s a penalty, but our guys did an unbelievable job,” Rust said. “They were great. They were working hard for me and the team. You saw how much the crowd got into it, and our guys just fed off that emotion and did an unbelievable job.”

What else was Rust going to say? The Penguins penalty killers saved his behind from a world of trouble and Twitter trends in the city of Pittsburgh.

Tied at 1-1, the Penguins will head to Long Island in an attempt to gain some control on this series. After a rough Game 1, Tristan Jarry played much better on Tuesday night, allowing just one goal on 38 shot attempts.

Game 3 will be played on Thursday Nassau Coliseum.