LAS VEGAS — When the Penguins beat the Blue Jackets on April 5, there was a collective sense of excitement and relief over securing home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Flyers.
Looking back, it would’ve been understandable had the Penguins panicked.
Home ice has not been kind to NHL teams this postseason, the Penguins — the league’s second-best home team during the regular season — chief among them. The Penguins won just two of six playoff home games after previously having won 30 of 41. It was one of several reasons their season is finished.