When the Vegas Golden Knights went on the highway to face the Winnipeg Jets within the first spherical of the NHL playoffs, they bought a cold welcome – and that was inside.
“They had no hot water at the Fairmont Hotel last week in Winnipeg, which I really didn’t like at all,” coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned. “Great hotel, by the way: great service, nice people, just no damn hot water.”
And no house cooking. Vegas beat the Jets twice on the highway and gained the sequence in 5 video games.
The Golden Knights will not be alone in what Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper declared “the year of the road team.” Visiting groups have matched the perfect begin in league historical past with 34 wins via 56 video games; the .607 profitable share is by far the very best of any playoff yr courting to 1966, not counting 2020 when video games have been performed at impartial websites with no followers.
Coaches level to raised preparation and extra roster depth in addition to parity leaguewide that has evened out the variations amongst groups enjoying for the Stanley Cup. Matchups that was paramount don’t matter as a lot now that there’s a lot offensive expertise throughout lineups. There is much less of a drop-off from the celebs on the primary line to depth contributors on the fourth.
“It may have to do with the structure of the teams now and how much that’s changed over the years,” Florida coach Paul Maurice mentioned earlier than his workforce gained a second consecutive highway recreation take a 2-0 sequence lead on Toronto. “There’s really high-end, skilled guys. Like our third line has three guys who can make plays. They’re skilled guys. They’re not even necessarily hitters, and that’s kind of true around the league.”
PHOTOS: No place like highway: Visiting groups thriving in NHL playoffs
Maurice, Cassidy, Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour and famous that each rink is now the identical dimension; no extra particular quirks just like the tight corners in Boston Garden designed for the Bruins to be huge and difficult. It wasn’t till 1996, when the Sabres moved out of “The Aud” in Buffalo, that each one NHL arenas have been a uniform 200-by-85 toes.
“When you think back to playoff series, you think of the old Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium,” Cassidy mentioned. “They were much more intimidating, smaller. You could build your roster a little around them, like baseball parks. Now it’s pretty much 200 by 85. That has something to do with it.”
Brind’Amour mentioned house ice has “become less of an advantage.” No offense to house followers, he mentioned, who give the Hurricanes power, however the longtime player-turned-coach mentioned, “I just don’t know how much it hurts the other team.”
Since 2011, solely as soon as have highway groups gained greater than house groups, once they went 44-40 (.524) in 2018. Add up all of the playoffs since 2011 and highway groups have gone 434-531 (.450).
They’re 34-22 this yr – one fewer highway win than all of final season.
“It is a leaguewide trend, but it doesn’t make you feel any better about it,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned after the Maple Leafs misplaced at house to Florida in Game 1. “No matter where we’re playing, you should be able to play the same.”
That will get to the foundation of the road-warrior mentality, too. Not solely are gamers usually extra free from distraction away from house however they have a tendency to streamline their method.
“Sometimes on the road, you have a different mindset of playing simple,” Edmonton ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins mentioned.
A rule change handed a number of years in the past additionally takes a tactical benefit away. On faceoffs earlier than 2015, the visiting participant needed to put his stick down first, giving his house rival a positioning edge that may make a distinction. Now that’s solely an element at heart ice as a result of all over the place else the participant closest to his personal objective should put his stick down first.
Home groups nonetheless get the final line change, which permits coaches to raised dictate matchups. But Maurice confirmed in Florida’s wins at Toronto how little he cared about getting sure gamers out towards the Leafs’ high scorers – one thing former participant Anson Carter sees as an evolution of expertise.
“Back in the day, when I played, you couldn’t put your third or fourth line out against a first line – they’d get eaten alive,” mentioned Carter, now a Turner Sports analyst. “Now with teams really going four lines deep or at least two centermen deep that are equally effective in the faceoff circle and at least two defensive pairs, you don’t have to worry about your top pair being on the bench or your top center being on the bench while the other team just takes advantage in the offensive zone.”
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