Pittsburgh has lost eight of 10 since the holiday break and begins a 15-day road swing Friday night in Buffalo

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres in a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup at KeyBank Center. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey!

Absent some long winning streak, the Sabres are toast. There have been 77 winning streaks in the NHL of at least five games since the last time the Sabres won even four in a row in January 2023.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (18-20-8) tanked their recent five-game homestand, winning only once. The resulting fallout was a drop in the standings behind six teams for a playoff spot, and general manager Kyle Dubas waived starting goalie Tristan Jarry.

Despite having one of the best records in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights have struggled against Eastern Conference teams, with a 6-8-1 record against them. They'll look to improve upon that record when they take on the

The Buffalo Sabres face the Carolina Hurricanes in Eastern Conference play. Buffalo has gone 8-11-3 in home games and 16-22-5 overall. The Sabres are third in league play with 181 total penalties ...

Zucker is an influential voice in the locker room and wants to make Buffalo better despite knowing he could be traded at the deadline.

The Penguins begin a seven-game road trip with a game on Friday night, Jan. 17, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

The Sabres are still in last place in the Eastern Conference and currently sit nine points out of a playoff spot.