In a game that kicked off a critical seven-game road trip across the country as the Pittsburgh Penguins try to climb back into a playoff spot, they rode an efficient power play and strong goaltending on Friday while shedding some bad habits to down the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.

It seemed like an innocuous comment at the moment. But with the benefit of almost nine years, it proved to be insightful. During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect development camp in Cranberry in June 2016,