When it comes to winning on home ice, few teams in the NHL can match the Pittsburgh Penguins. With a 19-3-0 record, the team has the most home wins in the league, and the third-best winning percentage (.864), trailing only the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks in that regard.
It's not like they've been awful on the road—the Penguins are the fifth-best away team in the NHL—but it's clear that they've been able to elevate their collective game while playing in front of the hometown crowd.
Where does the difference come from though? A 19-3 record is very different from a 13-9-1 record, which is how Pittsburgh has fared away from the Consol Energy Center.
The first assumption would be that head coach Dan Bylsma is able to secure more favorable matchups for his star-studded lineup. Getting Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin out on the ice against the Matt Bartkowskis and Brian Lashoffs of the world is certainly favorable to seeing Zdeno Chara or Niklas Kronwall on every shift.
No. 87 hasn't been notably stronger on home ice though. 35 of his 65 points have come while enjoying the comforts of Con ...
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Article written by Franklin Steele
What Makes the Pittsburgh Penguins so Dominant at Home?
January 10th, 2014 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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