"I don't think (home ice) will mean as much as it did in the past, but I do still think it means something," Alex Killorn said. "When you have one extra game where you're sleeping in your own bed when you're at home, I do think it means something. Probably not as much as it may have meant going into tougher buildings in the league with their fans, but it will still mean something for sure."
Killorn brings up a good point. Despite the limited capacity inside arenas which won't make going into a road venue quite as intimidating as it might have been in previous playoffs, there's still something to be said for getting to play in your home rink, being around your family and sleeping in your own bed for one more day than you would without home-ice advantage.
Being at home can have its distractions too as Pat Maroon pointed out.
And he would know, having won two-straight Stanley Cups and leading the NHL for playoff games (51) over the last two seasons.
"I'm a firm believer, if you feel confident and you have road success all year and you feel confident on the road, you're going to have success," Maroon said. "I just feel like home, in a way, the advantage isn't there anymore. I think teams just go out and play. Away teams actually feel like the crowd and energy in the other barn may be more electric and they get more pumped up for it than they would at home…There is a lot that goes with (home ice): tickets, family, all the whole nine yards when you make it deep. There's a lot of distractions in that sense."
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper pointed to Maroon's Stanley Cup Final series with St. Louis against Boston to make his case for how little home ice means anymore. The Blues had a chance to win the Stanley Cup on home ice in Game 6 of the 2019 Cup Final but lost 5-1. Then they went to Boston for Game 7 and dominated the Bruins in TD Garden to win 4-1 and lift the Cup.
Home ice didn't matter much for the Lightning in last year's playoff bubbles either. The Lightning were technically the home team in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final versus Dallas but lost in their first attempt at clinching the Cup. In Game 6 with Dallas the home team, the Lightning shut out the Stars 2-0.
Certainly, fans weren't a factor in the playoff bubbles, but having the last change as afforded to the home team still matters.
Apparently not as much as it used to, however.
"I don't know. I get asked that every year," Cooper said when asked if home ice matters this season. "Gosh, we've won series when we've had home ice. We've lost series when we've had home ice. To me, in the playoffs, it's not as big a factor whether you have fans or not."
The Lightning announced Wednesday morning they'll increase attendance at AMALIE Arena for Round 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs to approximately 7,000, or 37 percent capacity. Maroon said he's pumped for the extra fans. The 3,800 to 4,200 fans that have been inside AMALIE Arena since the team started letting fans back in on March 13 have made the place feel packed according to the veteran forward. Almost twice that many fans should make for an even more raucous environment.
But as far as how that will affect the Lightning, Maroon said its imperative the team takes advantage of its situation, whatever that might be.
"If we get home-ice advantage, take advantage of it right away. If we don't, take advantage of it," he said. "You still have to take advantage of your home and away. If you go play two games away, you've got to find a way to squeak one out or squeak two out. If you play at home, you try to win two or at least one. You've got to find a way to win a hockey game either way. I think it really doesn't matter for me personally. Maybe for some guys, but I think you've just got to win hockey games."
