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Dan Muse calls out the Bryan Rust suspension and Gary Bettman won't like it
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Bryan Rust's three-game suspension has the Pittsburgh Penguins furious, and the fallout hits the top-six right now.
The league handed it down Tuesday, and Pittsburgh didn't hide how it felt.
The play was Rust's late hit on Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser, ruled an illegal check to the head.
It happened Sunday in Vancouver, with the Penguins hanging on for a 3-2 win.
Boeser went to injured reserve, and the Canucks said he's out at least a week.
In that clip, Dan Muse says "Three games is a lot," and adds the organization doesn't agree with it.
"Three games is a lot. I don't agree with it.
"As an organization, we don't agree with it."
- Dan Muse
"As an organization, we don't agree with it."
- Dan Muse
That's as direct as you'll ever hear a coach get without earning a fine, although anything's possible at this point.
It also tells you the room believes intent and outcome got mashed together in the ruling.
Bryan Rust absence tests the Pittsburgh Penguins bite
Pens fans are mad because it feels like the standard changes every week, and this one lands on a guy who normally plays honest.
Rust has 18-21-39 this season, and he's a staple on the man advantage.
Now the Penguins have to patch the right side, and they lose a ton of puck retrieval on the forecheck.
That matters because Pittsburgh's best shifts start with pressure, not pretty set plays.
The suspension also pulls him out Thursday vs Chicago, Saturday vs the New York Rangers, and Monday vs Ottawa.
At 26-14-11, the Penguins don't have space to donate points in the Metro.
If Muse wants to turn this into fuel, Thursday has to look like a team that's angry for the right reasons.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Bryan Rust learns his fate for the head hit on Brock Boeser as the league cracks down
Bryan Rust learns his fate for the head hit on Brock Boeser as the league cracks down
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 27|372 ANSWERS Dan Muse calls out the Bryan Rust suspension and Gary Bettman won't like it Should Bryan Rust's three-game suspension be reduced? | ||
| Yes | 218 | 58.6 % |
| No | 154 | 41.4 % |
| List of polls | ||