Playing away from South Florida has been great for the Panthers, who are 6-1 on the road during the postseason
The road has been a friendly place for the Florida Panthers since the Stanley Cup Playoffs began.
Florida has won six of its seven road games during the playoffs, only dropping Game 1 of their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.
The Cats went on to win Games 2, 5, and 7 at TD Garden in Boston.
Florida's road dominance continued in round two against Toronto, when the Panthers claimed victory in Games 1, 2 and 5 at Scotiabank Arena.
Those are two buildings where visiting teams did not see very much success this season.
The Bruins had the league's best record on home ice and Toronto had the third-most home wins.
But somehow, someway, the Panthers opened their two playoff series' by earning a split in Boston and taking both opening games in Toronto.
While it's not the ideal way to begin a playoff series, Florida has made the most of their travel schedule.
"We'd love to have the option not to, but we didn't earn the right," Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said of starting every playoff series on the road. "Given a choice, you probably want to start at home because that meant you finished ahead of the team you're playing, and that's not going to happen to us."
Starting their playoff series' on the right foot despite being on the road is a big part of why Florida has been successful so far this postseason, but they've also finished strong when away from home.
The Panthers' two series-clinching games were played in Boston and Toronto.
They were also both won in overtime.
In fact, three of Florida's four overtime wins during this postseason have come on the road.
"I think being on the road gives you that extra push," said Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour.
There was no confusion about Florida's positioning when the playoffs began.
The Cats squeaked into the postseason as the second Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, clinching their spot after the second-to-last game of the season.
They knew that any successful run would have to begin, and possibly end, on the road.
"It doesn't matter, it's the playoffs so we were going to play on the road eventually," said Florida captain Sasha Barkov. "It doesn't matter if we start there or not."
The Cats lead the league in victories away from home with six.
No other team has more than four.
"It's just kind of the mindset," said Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura. "It doesn't matter where we're playing or what we're doing, we're just showing up and we're playing the game."
Whenever the Cats have packed their bags and hit the pavement, they've felt right at home. It's been a bit of a trend during the playoffs, as road teams have actually done better than those playing on home ice.
Through 73 postseason games played during the first two rounds, visiting teams hold a 41-32 record.
To Carolina's credit, they haven't let the trend of struggling at home reach Raleigh.
The Hurricanes are 5-1 at home this playoff and 12-2 over past two postseasons. They're 3-2 on the road.
Carolina's 28 wins at PNC Arena during the regular season were tied with Tampa for second-most in the NHL, behind only the record-breaking Bruins.
The Hurricanes' Storm Surge and their home ice advantage is no secret around the league, and Florida's players are very familiar with the experience of playing there.
"It is a very loud building and they feed off that energy, and they obviously have a great home record, so we're going to have our hands full," said Panthers defenseman Marc Staal. "I think we enjoy the challenge and we just to go in and play our game and see how it shakes out. We're not overthinking it."
The energy of a home crowd during the playoffs can be exhilarating to experience.
It can absolutely impact the result of a game, depending on the teams on the ice.
In Florida's case, they have done well to use that energy to their benefit. It's a sign of a mature team that has been there before and knows what to expect.
"It's obviously something that's to the home team's advantage, but I think we've done a good job of either maintaining their energy or quieting down the building as much as we can," said Montour.
Added Mahura: "Regardless of where the arena is, we're playing the same game."
At the end of the day, when it comes to the playoffs, you take the wins however you can get them.
Home, away, on the roof, under water, it doesn't matter.
Wins are wins.
But when success starts coming on the road, something can happen to a hockey team.
They're traveling, they're isolated, and they're hyper-focused on the task at hand.
The group can grow closer, bonded by the overwhelmingly positive experience they're taking on as a team.
"All of the great things I think about (that come with) being on the road are even more magnified in the playoffs as you move on," said Maurice. "Because right now, it's the closest room it's ever been. Every day you have some success…you win the first round, man they're happy getting on the plane going Toronto. Well now we've won two, so they are a tight group."
It's to no one's surprise that the Panthers are enjoying their time away from Sunrise.
A road trip with your best friends to do what you love most will have that effect.
And the wins just keep on coming.
"We're a great group of guys and we all love being with each other," said Barkov. "It's a great way to spend time."