Hot or Not: Rust, Couture leading the way; Malkin, Spaling not so much

11:12 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — Here we go. This is it. The first to four wins will hoist the Stanley Cup as champions of the 2015-16 NHL season. It comes down to either the Eastern Conference-winning Pittsburgh Penguins or the Western Conference-winning San Jose Sharks. At this time of the season, it’s difficult to pick a few players from each team that are “hot” or those who are “not,” since both teams reached this point because of contributions from everyone on the roster in some shape or form. Still, just like we expect from the players, we’re consistent, so here is our Stanley Cup edition.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Hot

Bryan Rust: The rookie forward began the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. He finished the Eastern Conference finals with two goals in Pittsburgh’s decisive 2-1 win in Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was his second career multigoal game in the postseason, both of which came in series-clinching wins. (He also had two goals and one assist for three points in Game 5 against the New York Rangers.) Rust has five goals and three assists for eight points in 17 postseason games this season.

Phil Kessel: Who would have thought Kessel would become a folk hero? After stints with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh, a place where he didn’t have to be the guy, turned out to prove crucial for the Penguins and for …

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