NHL Playoff Predictions 2012: Teams That Will Benefit from Home-Ice Advantage

A little home-ice advantage can go a long in the NHL playoffs; any little advantage can be the difference between a win and loss.

For three teams in particular, that advantage could be the difference between a series triumph and a one-and-done postseason disappointment.

So who are these masters of their own (arena) domain?

Nashville Predators

It's not that Nashville is markedly better at home than on the road—they're a solid 26-10-5 at home but a respectable 22-16-3 on the road.

It's that the Detroit Red Wings are amazing at home but only mediocre on the road that comes into play here.

The Red Wings were 31-7-3 at Joe Louis Arena this year, including an NHL-record 23 straight wins. Away, they're a dismal 17-21-3.

If this game goes to seven, and I expect it will, the fact that the deciding game will be in Nashville will sway this series toward the Predators.

St. Louis Blues

For a young, untested Blues team set to face the veteran San Jose Sharks, having home-ice advantage is a nice comfort.

Oh yeah, and they were also 30-6-5 at home.

Let me repeat that: They were 30-6-5 in St. Louis. That's scary. That won't only serve them well against the Sharks, it could be a huge factor in a potential deep playoff run for the Blues.

Florida Panthers

Florida has a difficult, albeit manageable first-round matchup against the New Jersey Devils. But having the home-ice advantage will be big.

Florida was 21-11-9 at home this year—a far better mark than the 17-17-7 record they had on the road. The only problem?

The Devils had as many wins on the road (24) as they did at home this year. And that may be the reason that, despite Florida making this a very interesting series, the Devils might still take this one.

But if it goes to that Game 7 in Florida, you've got to give the Panthers the edge in their home building.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are growing a playoff beard.