Malkin: Penguins looking to veteran leaders during 6-game winless streak

The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently mired in a six-game winless streak, and Evgeni Malkin knows much of the responsibility will fall on the team's veterans to get them out of it.

"Everyone is looking to us, the leaders, for sure," Malkin said after Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "I can play better. We can play better. We aren't playing perfect. I had a couple of turnovers in this game. Play smart. Play right. Try and be a leader."

The Penguins had a 3-1 advantage in Buffalo after Jake Guentzel scored just eight seconds into the final frame. However, for the second time in as many nights, Pittsburgh squandered its third-period lead: The Sabres scored five unanswered goals - including a pair of empty-netters - to add another defeat to the Penguins' growing pile.

Wednesday's meltdown furthered a concerning trend for the struggling Metropolitan side, which has only mustered a 3-1-2 record when leading after two periods so far this season.

Malkin said the team "changed" during the third period against the Sabres, which is more or less symbolic of the Penguins' campaign so far.

Pittsburgh went on a 4-0-1 run to start the season and led the league with 26 goals for. Since then, the Penguins have flipped the script in an unenviable way, going 0-5-1 while surrendering a whopping 30 goals against - the most in the NHL during that span.

"It's not easy right now," Malkin said. "It's a tough situation. It's time to deal with this team. It’s tough. When you're lost, you need to support each other, help each other. ... Why not win the next six games in a row?"

Malkin is tied with Sidney Crosby for most points on the team with 12 in 11 games, seven of which have come during the winless streak. Crosby, meanwhile, has put up just two points in the team's last six contests.

"(The mood in the room is) what you'd expect for a team that's blown a couple of leads on back-to-back nights and winless in six," Crosby said. "I mean, it's not a great feeling, and we've got to find a way to get out of it."

The Penguins sit in seventh place in their division with a 4-5-2 record. The club's next chance at redemption will come Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.

Malkin, 36, inked a four-year, $24.4-million extension with the Penguins in July.