The Pittsburgh Penguins had a five-game home stand in January that, given the opponents, could have put them right back in the thick of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.
They mostly wasted it, winning just one game and pretty much rendering all of the work they did throughout the end of November and December nearly useless.
They are now on a seven-game road trip (having already played two games on it, splitting them in Buffalo and Washington) that could ultimately determine if they are still a bubble playoff team or if this is going to be a true lottery season.