That is right, the wheels on the bus do go round and round...and round they went all the way up I-90 to Buffalo, where the Penguins have a date with the Sabres this evening at 7:00pm.

It was a great bonding experience for a group that has been awfully pedestrian lately, at least in their attention to detail and hard work. The Penguins have gone 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and 3-5-1 in the month of December after tearing through November (9-2-1 in the month) like a knife through warm butter. The erratic play in December came to a head on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs blew the Penguins away in every aspect of the game. They outworked the Penguins in all three zones, got to every loose puck and capitalized on every gaffe the Penguins produced. It seemed to be a sobering experience for most players on the roster. Most were somber and stunned looking in the locker room, other were perturbed, such as Matt Cooke, who called his team's effort "nonchalant." Cooke went on to tell the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

"It's too far along in the season for this to happen," said Cooke, who is an alternate captain. "Frankly, from my standpoint, this can't happen again."

The bus trip to Buffalo was a chance for the team to return to it's roots, as riding buses is a way of life in the minor leagues of North America. Many players hadn't taken a bus to a game in years.

Pascal Dupuis was excited for the opportunity to go back in time, as he told the Penguins official site.

“That’ll be special,” said Dupuis, who is set to make his return to the line-up tonight. “We did it so much in junior. It’s been a while. Maybe that’s something that will help us hang out together.”

Maybe remembering what got many of these players to the league will jump start their effort. Many of the veterans realize that the way things played out Saturday night will just not cut it in the National Hockey league. Hard work needs to be part of the equation and it just hasn't been on too many nights during December.

“I don’t care how much talent you have on your roster. If you don’t work, points are hard to get," said Phillipe Boucher after Saturday night's loss.

The Penguins will get a bit of a boost this evening, as a couple of injured Penguins will be making their return to the line-up. Pascal Dupuis return to his spot alongside Sidney Crosby and Ryan Whitney will be making his first start of the season.

It is hoped that Whitney will be able to mend some of the problems that have plagued the Penguins breakout all season long. They have struggled in getting the puck out of the zone in almost every game of the season. Though many of his teammates were quick to eliminate any pressure that may be placed on Whitney, saying that they all needed to play better and that one guy could not make a difference.

Marc Andre Fleury is expected to make the start this evening. He wasn't as sharp as he would have liked to have been on Saturday, but that was the case with the entire team. He will be looking to bounce back tonight, but it will not be an easy task, as the Sabres boast a young dynamic group of forwards who can put the puck in the net, at least against the Penguins. That all starts with Thomas Vanek, who is currently second in the league with 24 goals.

This is definitely a "stop the bleeding game" as the Penguins are usually shooting up the standings in December, not fall down them.

Game Notes:

Tonight marks the fourth and final meeting between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. The Penguins are 1-2-0 against the Sabres this season, after finishing with a 4-0-0 mark last season.

The Penguins are 63-57-38 all-time against the Sabres, including a 22-38-18 mark in Buffalo. The Sabres have outscored the Penguins 534 to 503 in 158 career games.

Evgeni Malkin leads all scorers with eight points (1G-7A) in three games against the Sabres this season. Marc-Andre Fleury is 3-2-2 all-time versus the Sabres, including a 1-0-0 mark this season.

Petr Sykora has points in four of his last five games, posting 12 points (5G-7A) over that span.

Milestone Watch:

Evgeni Malkin is five goals shy of reaching 100 for his career and eight games shy of playing in his 200th career game.
Miroslav Satan is one goal shy of reaching 350 in his career.
Sidney Crosby is five games shy of playing in his 250th career game.
Rob Scuderi needs two penalty minutes to reach 100 in his career.
Jordan Staal is 10 points shy of reaching 100 for his career, while he is five games shy of playing in his 200th career game.
Pascal Dupuis is seven assists shy of reaching 100 in his career.
Marc-Andre Fleury is three wins away from tying Denis Herron for third all-time in wins (88) among Penguins’ goaltenders.
Philippe Boucher is seven goals shy of reaching 100 for his career and four points shy of reaching 300 in his career.
Michel Therrien is six wins shy of winning his 200th NHL game.
Matt Cooke is six goals shy of reaching 100 for his career.

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