Notables
* The Pens are in the midst of a 4-game road trip that concludes with back-to-back matchups against Buffalo and Montreal. The Pens are 1-1 thus far after defeating Columbus, 5-2, on Tuesday.
* Defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who was acquired at the NHL trade deadline, is expected to make his team debut tonight against Buffalo.
* Pittsburgh has several injuries on the blue line with Olli Maatta, Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel suffering upper-body injuries and Brian Dumoulin being diagnosed with a concussion.
* With all the defensemen lost mid-game, the remaining blueliners have shouldered a heavier load. None more than Jack Johnson. Tuesday in Columbus, Johnson logged 26:50 minutes of ice time and a season-high 31:08 on Saturday.
* Patric Hornqvist will play his 700th career NHL game tonight, the 2nd-most ever by the final pick in an NHL Draft (Kim Johnsson, 739).
* Jared McCann chipped in 2 goals against Columbus on Tuesday. He has 5 goals in 13 games since joining the Pens.
* The Sabres still have an outside shot, though long, at making the playoffs. They currently have 66 points in the standings, 8 behind Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot. Every point is critical for Buffalo from here on out.
* Goaltender Carter Hutton is 3-0 with 2 shutouts against Pittsburgh in 5 career games, posting a 1.36 GAA and .956 save percentage.
* Jack Eichel, Zach Bogosian and Sam Reinhart each have 6 points in the past 6 games against the Pens.
Injuries
PIT - Brian Dumoulin (concussion), Kris Letang (upper-body), Olli Maatta (upper-body).
BUF - None.
