Long after the final horn sounded, Bryan Rust sat at his locker stall. His hockey pants on and shin pads still taped, the Penguins' forward stared ahead blankly. It was a look not commonly seen in NHL dressing rooms in November. Usually it's reserved for April, May or, if one is fortunate enough, June.
Thursday night's 4-3 loss to the Lightning hardly ended a season. But it could spell the beginning of the end for these Penguins as we know them. The look on Rust's face and others suggested they knew it, too.
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