diff --git a/core/src/cluster_info.rs b/core/src/cluster_info.rs
index 75cdcdd6cd..5a85be2df9 100644
--- a/core/src/cluster_info.rs
+++ b/core/src/cluster_info.rs
@@ -899,29 +899,24 @@ impl ClusterInfo {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn push_epoch_slots(&self, update: &[Slot]) {
-        let mut num = 0;
-        let mut current_slots: Vec<_> = (0..crds_value::MAX_EPOCH_SLOTS)
-            .filter_map(|ix| {
-                Some((
-                    self.time_gossip_read_lock(
-                        "lookup_epoch_slots",
-                        &self.stats.epoch_slots_lookup,
-                    )
-                    .crds
-                    .get(&CrdsValueLabel::EpochSlots(ix, self.id()))
-                    .and_then(|v| v.value.epoch_slots())
-                    .and_then(|x| Some((x.wallclock, x.first_slot()?)))?,
-                    ix,
-                ))
-            })
-            .collect();
-        current_slots.sort_unstable();
+    pub(crate) fn push_epoch_slots(&self, mut update: &[Slot]) {
+        let current_slots: Vec<_> = {
+            let gossip =
+                self.time_gossip_read_lock("lookup_epoch_slots", &self.stats.epoch_slots_lookup);
+            (0..crds_value::MAX_EPOCH_SLOTS)
+                .filter_map(|ix| {
+                    let label = CrdsValueLabel::EpochSlots(ix, self.id());
+                    let epoch_slots = gossip.crds.get(&label)?.value.epoch_slots()?;
+                    let first_slot = epoch_slots.first_slot()?;
+                    Some((epoch_slots.wallclock, first_slot, ix))
+                })
+                .collect()
+        };
         let min_slot: Slot = current_slots
             .iter()
-            .map(|((_, s), _)| *s)
+            .map(|(_wallclock, slot, _index)| *slot)
             .min()
-            .unwrap_or(0);
+            .unwrap_or_default();
         let max_slot: Slot = update.iter().max().cloned().unwrap_or(0);
         let total_slots = max_slot as isize - min_slot as isize;
         // WARN if CRDS is not storing at least a full epoch worth of slots
@@ -936,8 +931,11 @@ impl ClusterInfo {
             );
         }
         let mut reset = false;
-        let mut epoch_slot_index = current_slots.last().map(|(_, x)| *x).unwrap_or(0);
-        while num < update.len() {
+        let mut epoch_slot_index = match current_slots.iter().max() {
+            Some((_wallclock, _slot, index)) => *index,
+            None => 0,
+        };
+        while !update.is_empty() {
             let ix = (epoch_slot_index % crds_value::MAX_EPOCH_SLOTS) as u8;
             let now = timestamp();
             let mut slots = if !reset {
@@ -945,7 +943,8 @@ impl ClusterInfo {
             } else {
                 EpochSlots::new(self.id(), now)
             };
-            let n = slots.fill(&update[num..], now);
+            let n = slots.fill(update, now);
+            update = &update[n..];
             if n > 0 {
                 let entry = CrdsValue::new_signed(CrdsData::EpochSlots(ix, slots), &self.keypair);
                 self.local_message_pending_push_queue
@@ -953,11 +952,8 @@ impl ClusterInfo {
                     .unwrap()
                     .push(entry);
             }
-            num += n;
-            if num < update.len() {
-                epoch_slot_index += 1;
-                reset = true;
-            }
+            epoch_slot_index += 1;
+            reset = true;
         }
     }