The Pittsburgh Penguins wrap up their road trip with a matchup with the defending Eastern Conference champion.

Times are tough for the Pittsburgh Penguins, losers of four of their last five games and struggling to find consistency. After their most disappointing loss of the season in Tampa, the Pens have a final opportunity to secure a victory on their latest road trip. Here's what to watch for when the puck drops between the Penguins and the Florida Panthers. 

1. Are Jobs on the Line?

The panic button is ready to be pushed in Pittsburgh. Sitting in 7th place in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-11-3 record, the Penguins aren't meeting expectations. It's only a matter of time before general manager Kyle Dubas makes some changes.

The biggest unanswered question is whether the change will be a personnel or coaching one. If they lose this game to the Panthers, the team will drop below .500, and it would be shocking if the same team and coaching staff returns to Pittsburgh to play Arizona. 

2. Reinhart's Rolling

The Florida Panthers have one of the deepest group of forwards in the league, a huge reason why they've started the season with a 15-8-2 record. Led by elite forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, they both are paced in scoring this year by Sam Reinhart. 

Since arriving in Florida, Reinhart's posted back-to-back 30+ goal seasons. He's off to an even better start this season, with 32 points in 25 games. His offensive game is the best it's ever looked, and the Panthers are a dangerous team because of it. The Penguins will need to provide an answer to Reinhart's game if they want to steal a win in Florida.

3. Tristan Jarry Standing Strong

While the Penguins falter, their goaltending continues to be a lone bright spot. In particular, starter Tristan Jarry has returned to form of late. He's stolen points for the Pens, securing at least one point in four of his last five starts.

He's elevated his goals against average (GAA) to 2.50, which puts him ahead of 75% of the league's goaltenders, according the NHL EDGE statistics. He's even scored more goals than Evgeni Malkin over the last four games. In a crucial matchup against Florida, Tristan Jarry needs to be a brick wall and secure a victory.

The Penguins and Panthers face-off at 7:00 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena. 

BONUS: Prior to the game, Florida will be holding a ceremony to congratulate former Penguin and Panther, Patric Hornqvist, on his retirement from the NHL.

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