After playing seven of their first nine games at PPG Paints Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins left Monday for a three-game road trip. Games at Florida (on Tuesday), Tampa Bay (on Wednesday) and Dallas (on Saturday) mark their only three-game road stretch of the season until the week before Christmas.
There is only one longer stretch this season, and it’s possible that trip in the last week of February will feature a quick stop home in between a Sunday afternoon game at Washington and three games in California on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Captain Sidney Crosby said road trips can be a good thing for a team bonding.
“You get to know guys a little more,” Crosby said Monday. “You spend more time with them, whether it’s dinner or hanging out at the hotel or busing to the rink. Everything is just a little more laid back and everyone’s on the same schedule, so you see everyone.”
The Penguins are 2-0 on the road this season. They went 21-12-8 away from home last season, the second-worst road record of any Eastern Conference playoff team.
