PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins refuse to listen to the whispers that every 33 years an NHL team manages to overcome a 3-0 series disadvantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Penguins had an opportunity to sweep their Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, but the Flyers prevailed with a 4-2 win to give life to the slim possibility that they, too, can join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders as the only two clubs in Stanley Cup playoff history to storm back with four consecutive victories to clinch a series.
But a return to the friendly confines of ancient Mellon Arena, which at 47 is the oldest building in the league, is welcoming for the Penguins. They are not only a perfect 7-0 at home this postseason, but Sidney Crosby and his teammates haven't lost at their unique-looking Igloo since a 2-1 shootout defeat to the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 24.
That's 15 wins in a row.
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"Well, first of all, we feed off of the crowd," said Penguins coach Michel Therrien, who gave his team yesterday off before returning to work to prepare for the fifth game tomorrow.
"We've got a great crowd. In the regular season, it is demanding to win on the road, in the playoffs it's demanding to win on the road as well, because, the crowds are into it. Like Philly, it's a tough place to play.
"The reason why we feed off of the crowd is we feel comfortable. The crowd brings us emotion. We're a young team that feeds from those emotions. We've got the confidence at home that we can accomplish good things."
But is going undefeated at home a remarkable feat in the Stanley Cup playoffs? After all, aren't all good teams supposed to win at home? The Detroit Red Wings also head into the fifth game of the Western Conference final today with the same perfect 7-0 record.
Over all, though, home teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs haven't enjoyed a distinct advantage this spring. In the first 76 postseason games, the home team has won 46 times - 61 per cent of the time. In the NBA playoffs, home is where the victories have been because the home team has gone 50-15 heading into action last night.
"We're so confident because we've got the good routine," Therrien said. "We're not on the road. There are a lot of factors [as to why] we've be able to play really, really solid at home. But there's no doubt that the way that the crowd gets into the game and brings the emotion that we're looking for as a young team."
The Penguins production has been better at home with 27 goals in seven games, compared to 18 in the six away from Mellon Arena. Even Pittsburgh's dynamic young duo of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has performed better on home ice. Crosby hasn't scored a goal in his past four road games, and Malkin had just one assist in the two games in Philadelphia this week.
But Therrien isn't worried about his young talented players rebounding tomorrow.
"They've been really good," Therrien said. "They receive the kinds of pressure regarding the team to get success. When looking at the big picture, our record in the playoffs is 11-2. So I've got to be really pleased about the way that they've been performing since the beginning of the playoffs. That's why we're optimistic for the rest of the playoffs."
The Penguins are in the same situation as they were last round, when they went up 3-0 on the New York Rangers, lost the fourth game and returned home to close out the series.
"We're in the same situation as against the Rangers and, again, ... against another team that was playing really well defensively," Therrien said. "That was a challenge for us to play Game 5 at home in front of our fans, and we did a great job of winning that game.
"This is going to be a challenge. Every game is a challenge in the playoffs. And, obviously, we played some really solid hockey with the support of our fans, with the emotion that they bring. We're a tough team to play against at home there's no doubt."
