So what's the difference? Well, the home coach gets the matchups, meaning Montgomery can set a game plan and stick to it. That can add to the consistency of the team. The Stars also won't be flying from town to town, getting in at about 2 a.m. after every game and can use practice time to work on the details of their game.
Again, that's significant.
Part of statistics are relative to game score. If you're winning, you tend to pick up points in the third period and that can help make your overall performance look better. If you're scoring first and leading games, you force the opposition to change their playing style. If you're the team that has energy, you can get off to better starts.
Tyler Seguin had 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) at home last season and 36 (13 goals, 23 assists) on the road. Alexander Radulov had 40 points at home (16 goals, 24 assists) and 32 on the road (13 goals, 19 assists). Jamie Benn had 30 points at home (15 goals, 15 assists) and 23 on the road (12 goals, 11 assists).
Just as interesting, two of the Stars' youngest players had interesting swings. Jason Dickinson had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and was plus-16 at home. He had seven points (one goal, six assists) and was minus-7 on the road. Miro Heiskanen had almost the same scoring with 16 points at home (six goals, 10 assists) and 17 on the road (six goals, 11 assists), but he was plus-6 at home and minus-20 on the road.