WASHINGTON — Bryan Rust has been in the NHL only about two years. His 25th birthday is Thursday.

Yet he already has a reputation that will stick with him for the rest of his career and beyond.

Rust makes his biggest contributions when the stakes are highest, and in that regard, he has plenty of company in the Penguins locker room.

Rust broke a scoreless tie in the second period, leading the Penguins to a 2-0 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night at Verizon Center.

The Penguins improved to 6-0 in franchise history when they play Game 7 on the road. They will meet the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference finals.

Joining Rust in the team's historical Game 7 hall of heroes were:

• Marc-Andre Fleury, who rebounded from giving up nine goals in the previous two games to pitch a brilliant 29-save shutout, the ninth of his career in the playoffs

• Patric Hornqvist, who tacked on an insurance goal in a third period that was dominated by the Penguins

• Coach Mike Sullivan, whose tactical adjustments helped the Penguins spend far less time in their own zone than they did in the previous two games in the series

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury makes a save between his legs against the Capitals in the first period during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at Verizon Center. For more images from Game 7, visit the Trib's photo gallery .

Photo by Chaz Palla

 

"I give so much credit to the players," Sullivan said. "When you get into Game 7s, these types of games, it's about a compete level. It's about a mindset. It's about heart and soul. Our group of players, they played hard for one another tonight."

Given the historical fact that teams scoring first in Game 7 of a playoff series win about 75 percent of the time, Rust's goal was the most critical juncture in the game.

Using dogged puck pursuit, the Penguins forced a bad clear by the Capitals that Ian Cole collected at the right point. In a slick passing display, the puck went to Sidney Crosby at the top of the right circle to Jake Guentzel at the left post, then patiently back to Rust at the right post for a shot over goalie Braden Holtby.

Rust scored twice in a Game 7 victory over Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals last season.

"It's great to see Rusty step up and be one of those Mr. Game 7s that people refer to," Cole said.

The goal put the memory of a brutal performance in a 5-2 loss in Game 6 behind the Penguins for good.

"It gave us life," Rust said. "It gave us momentum, especially after losing two games. ... It kept getting better from there."

The 1-0 lead was almost erased about five minutes later, but Fleury made his signature stop of the game. Pushing to his right after a cross-ice pass from Tom Wilson, Fleury used the shaft of his stick to deflect an Ovechkin one-timer from the slot.

"He's been unbelievable," Hornqvist said. "He's been our best player the whole playoffs."

Ovechkin also was involved in the play that led to Hornqvist's goal about four minutes into the third period. A defensive-zone pass from Kevin Shattenkirk to Ovechkin didn't connect, and Hornqvist quickly backhanded the loose puck past Holtby's glove hand.

Considering the rush that led to Rust's goal was started by a crushing open-ice hit by defenseman Brian Dumoulin on Ovechkin, it was a forgettable night for the Capitals superstar, who has yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs in his career.

"He's hit me plenty of times," Dumoulin said. "It was good to get one back on him."

The Penguins, of course, have advanced past the second round of the playoffs for the second straight season. They're only halfway to their ultimate goal, but having dispatched the Capitals, they'll be the favorites to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

"You can see," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said, "why they have the pedigree of a Stanley Cup champion."

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.

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