The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again be without top-line winger Bryan Rust, who head coach Mike Sullivan listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins did not like their start despite taking the first seven shots of the game. They liked their pushback even though they never tied the game, let alone took the lead, in a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in trouble. They lost four of the five games on their crucial homestand despite holding their last two opponents to only two shots each in the first period.

The Pittsburgh Penguins might hold their breath a little while longer regarding the status of winger Bryan Rust. Rust left the Penguins’ 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks later in the second period after defenseman Radko Gudas delivered a heavy check along the boards.

Even if the Penguins go on an outrageous hot streak, I still fully anticipate Dubas to sell at the deadline. He knows what he has to do. He’s not in this to grab the second wild card and lose in the first round. Dubas’ vision is much more grand than that. The problem is that fans might need to find some patience.

The Penguins fail to stay hot in California, getting outclassed in a 5-1 loss against the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday.

ANAHEIM -- Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn each scored two goals for the Anaheim Ducks in a 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Honda Center on Thursday. Frank Vatrano also scored, and Troy Terry and Jacob Trouba each had two assists for the Ducks (19-23-6), who had lost four straight (0-3-1). John Gibson made 31 saves.

Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn end their scoring slumps with two goals apiece, John Gibson makes 31 saves and the Ducks snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win.

It was a tough night for the Penguins on Thursday in Anaheim. Not only were they unable to carry over the momentum from Monday’s win over Los Angeles – they lost winger Bryan Rust late in the second period.

The Penguins played what Head Coach Mike Sullivan called "one of the better games we played all year" in a 5-1 win over Los Angeles on Monday at Crypto.com Arena, which was especially impressive considering the circumstances.

The Pittsburgh Penguins players and coaches honored the LA firefighters Monday. The coaches donned the hats on the ice while the players wore the LAFD hats in the locker room Monday after the team’s morning skate.

Marcus Pettersson landing on injured reserve forced the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some tinkering on the blue line. Pettersson had been Erik Karlsson’s defensive partner since Karlsson debuted with the Penguins last season.