Home ice advantage?
Yes (according to me, no, according to Max Talbot).
Morning warm ups proved that ice conditions are less than desirable, and that’s with no bodies in the stands. Mellon Civic Arena ice is usually regarded as one of the worst in the league, keeping the team on pace with the Steelers and their yearly turf struggles.
Talbot said, about the ice:
In the morning there was no crowd and there was no heat and it was pretty bad. Both teams have to play on it, and it’s not an advantage for either team.
Now, its easy to believe Max, since he’s doing the actual playing of the game, but I’m a blogger, my job is to disagree (and I’ll do it rather politely, since its my team).
I’ll only point to the stat of the Penguins having a home record of 26-10-5, which was tops in the East. It appears our Flightless Birds have found a way to adapt. The ice may be shitty, but the team that plays on it is used to the conditions.
Oh, and even if the ice isn’t a wee bit of an advantage, I know of one other factor that could sway the outcome of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxvwfI238j0&hl=en
Oh, yes.
Go Pens!
