Whenever the Tampa Bay Lightning's Eastern Conference Final series against the Bruins starts, the first two games will take place in Boston. You fight all season long to get home ice advantage in the Playoffs, under the assumption that playing at home is an advantage. But the Lightning swept the last series they played even though it started out in Washington, so they might not be afraid to take their show on the road.
According to TampaBay.com, Lightning coach Guy Boucher is totally comfortable with bringing his team on the road.
"You've heard your entire life you have to win games at home because that's what home-ice advantage is," he said. "So, there's extra pressure on yourself to win. … It becomes an extra distraction you need to manage."
Maybe the Lightning team had a little meeting about that, because defenseman Mattias Ohlund echoed the sentiment.
"When you're playing at home, some teams might feel there's a little bit of pressure to be creative and make plays," he said. "When you're on the road, you don't have that pressure. You chip it in. You chip it out. That's how games are usually won in the playoffs, by staying with your structure and not making fancy plays."
If the Lightning play that loose and comfortable on the road, and can return to Tampa with a win or two under their belt, then I think it will be a huge advantage for them.