Pittsburgh Penguins’ Home Ice Advantage Huge for Team
The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the second place spot in the Metropolitan Division and as a result, home ice advantage. What does that mean for their first round of playoff games?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have one game left in the regular season, but they’ve already laid claim to the second place position in the Metropolitan Division. Their standing gives them home ice advantage through at least the first round of the playoffs, and possibly further down the line depending on who they may play.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the NHL playoff system, it’s a best of seven format where the team with home ice advantage plays two at home, two away, and if necessary, one at home, one away, and one more at home.
Many people think of home ice advantage as being beneficial to the team mostly because of the atmosphere. Roaring fans and comfortable surroundings help get the team going.
The Pens have been playing with tons of emotion recently, especially at home. It’s going to be tough to play them anywhere, but especially within the walls of CONSOL Energy Center. The mental aspect of the game cannot be ignored, especially for the Pens.
This team used to be so mentally weak that when they fell behind, even by one goal, they could rarely bounce back. When one player lost their cool, the rest of the team would quickly follow. Everything would fall apart.
The transformation of the team from under Dan Bylsma and Mike Johnston to Mike Sullivan is amazing. I’m still a little unsure that this is actually the Pittsburgh Penguin team and not impostors. They rallied back from a 3-0 deficit just days ago, and even more often than that steal a wide lead and run away with it.
The chemistry, depth, and composure on the team is just too much for others to handle. At the beginning of the season, there is no way that the team was mentally on this level.
On the other hand, having home ice can really make a difference to players’ physical state as well, particularly if they get into a series of long, six- or seven-game matchups. The playoffs are hard games, long games with no shootouts and rather twenty-minute periods of overtime ad infinitum until someone scores.
Being able to just drive home from the rink in a matter of minutes and sleep in your own bed instead of in a hotel or on a plane can make all the difference in the world.
When you look at how many players will be coming back in the first round of the playoffs, that right to stay at home for more games could really help. Evgeni Malkin, Beau Bennett, Olli Maatta, Bryan Rust, and Marc-Andre Fleury are all slated to return sometime within the first round or early second round.
Having the first two games in the series could allow some of those players, like Maatta and Rust in particular, to slot back in sooner. Making them travel back and forth early on may not necessarily be conducive to their quickest return.
At this point, it looks most like the Penguins will be playing the New York Islanders. While the Islanders and their cross-city rival New York Rangers have the same amount of points with 99, the Isles have a game in hand. They also beat the Rangers last night.
Three postseasons ago, the Islanders clinched their first playoff berth in some time and squared off against the Pens. The inexperienced team put up something of a fight but, for the most part, were trod on by the Penguins.
They are certainly not welcomed in CONSOL, that much is certain.
In games this season, the Penguins and Isles have physically clashed several times, including a battle between Evgeni Malkin and Travis Hamonic. Malkin may or may not be back in time for the first round, but again – having the home-ice advantage may make that possible.
Home ice is big. The Penguins themselves have been on fire lately and hopefully can continue that through the playoffs, but part of that is thanks to their home fans. If you ask any player about their home crowd, they’ll say they’re great, the team loves playing in front of them, best fans in the league, yadda yadda yadda.
Next: Pittsburgh Penguins: Best Team in NHL Right Now
No matter how true that is, fans behind you are better than fans against you. Your familiar home locker room is better than a faraway visitors’ room.
One more game, Pittsburgh. And then it’s go time.