As always, there are teams in the National Hockey League that somehow have trouble on the road then they do at home. You could probably say that for all teams in the NHL, in particular Edmonton, New Jersey, and the NY Islanders.
But there is one team in the Western Conference that is in the playoff picture but are struggling to win road games of late.
They are the team of the Anaheim Ducks.
Yes, this team has had trouble winning road games from opening day and have had trouble with scoring and defense on the road, especially when they travel on long road trips. But after a long homestand where they have done exceptionally well, only losing one of those home games, the Ducks head out on a four-game road trip that takes them to Eastern Canada and Ohio.
So it looks like if they want to stay within the playoff picture, they'll need to start winning on the road. The defense of Cam Fowler, Lubomir Visnovsky, and plenty of other defensemen will need to step up on this road trip if they are going to make it. Also, the offense will need to provide Jonas Hiller with decent enough goals so that he can hold the fort.
Playing against Ottawa tonight should not be big of a problem, since they are below 500 and out of the playoff picture. Toronto and Montreal will be really tough matchups as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Ducks will really need to use their game against Montreal, since that is the most hockey-frenzied environment in the entire National Hockey League. Also, Toronto will be a match-up too as the team is doing exceptionally well both on the road and at home at this portion of the season.
Even though Columbus has had a downfall, it can still prove to be a challenge, even at home. After the Ducks lost there 3-1 in the middle of October, they will be looking for revenge in that game.
It's all about the road for these games as they spend their next eight of nine games away from Honda Center. So it's all about winning on the road at this point. It will be time for them to make a statement and see if they can indeed stay within the realms of the playoff picture and prove they're a decent team on the road.
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