Home ice proving to be advantage in early going of Stanley Cup Playoffs
Home-ice advantage hasn’t really existed over the past couple of years in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 2023 and 2024, visiting teams won more games than the home teams did.
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Home-ice advantage hasn’t really existed over the past couple of years in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 2023 and 2024, visiting teams won more games than the home teams did.
That’s not the case so far in 2025.
Entering Wednesday, home teams were 10-3 in this post-season. And the teams at home on Thursday in the NHL — Tampa Bay, Ottawa, St. Louis and Minnesota — are surely hoping that trend continues. The Senators are down 2-0 to Toronto, the Blues are down 2-0 to Winnipeg, the Lightning are down 1-0 to Florida and the Wild can take a 2-1 lead in their series over Vegas if they successfully protect home ice on Thursday.
It’s not must-win time for any of them, but there’s certainly some urgency.
“I know it’s been a long time coming for Sens fans,” Ottawa forward Brady Tkachuk said, looking ahead to what will be the first home playoff game for the Senators since May 23, 2017. “We’re going to really need them and I’m looking forward to getting out there in Game 3 in front of our fans.”
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St. Louis had chances; it led Game 1 in the third period and went into the third period of Game 2 tied. The Blues hope being at home provides the little extra boost that wasn’t there for Games 1 and 2 in Winnipeg.
“We’re going to have the last line change now,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’re going to go home. We’re going to be in front of our frenzied crowd. And we’re going to have an opportunity to hold serve at home.”
The Lightning are trying to avoid dropping Games 1 and 2 of a series at home for the first time since Round 1 in 2019, when they were the top overall seed but wound up getting swept by Columbus — and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who now stars for Florida.
“The bottom line is we lost,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said after Game 1. “Whether you lose 6-2 or you lose 1-0 in overtime, we lost the game. Turn the page and move on.”
Minnesota can take a 2-1 series lead, after a 5-2 win in Game 2 at Vegas. The NHL said when a best-of-seven playoff series has been tied 1-1, 66 per cent of the Game 3 winners have eventually won the series.
