For Isles, there's no place like road

ST. LOUIS -- Nothing personal against Long Island. The Islanders really would rather be home and they are going to be very pleased to be back for a game Saturday night. Honest.

Take their word for it, rather than judging by the standings. They are that rare team that plays better on the road and makes you wonder how much an advantage home-ice advantage is. In an odd sort of way, that is a compliment to the Islanders.

"It's hard, winning on the road. Heck, Detroit is .500," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock in referring to the Red Wings, who have won an NHL-record 21 straight home games but are just 15-15-1 on the road.

Hitchcock's team also is a prime example for the conventional wisdom that there is no place like home. Entering the game against the Islanders Thursday night at Scottrade Center, the Blues ranked among the best teams in the league, fourth overall with 75 points. That was because they were 24-3-4 on home ice.

"We've been on the right edge at home and the wrong edge on the road," said the coach, whose team entered with four fewer road points than the Islanders.

The Blues, like the Islanders, do not have a wealth of firepower. Hitchcock says they walk a fine line between winning and losing every night, and the boost that they get from their crowd usually is enough to put them over the top.

Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues defenseman who grew up in New Rochelle as a Rangers fan, said, "We feed off the energy in the building.''

No one on the Islanders doubts that. They believe in the home-ice advantage, even though they regularly disprove it (entering last night, they were the only NHL team with more losses than wins at home and more wins than regulation losses on the road).

"It's like anyone who travels, when you're not at home, you're not accustomed to certain things. It's funny how that can affect you," John Tavares said. "But sometimes being on the road is good. You're not worried about everything that's going on around you. You're just focusing on the game and what you have to do. You know you have to keep it simple. Sometimes at home maybe you try to do too much."

The Islanders are not a free-wheeling club. No matter where they play, they concentrate on playing solid defense and generally doing the things that hockey people say composes a good road game.

"It is a cliche at times," coach Jack Capuano said. "I just think there's a formula for success: What you do with the puck and what you do without the puck. For our team, with our personnel, there is a certain way that we have to play."

That reflects the resilience that has kept the Islanders within sight of the playoffs. "The last couple of years for us, it has been a tough time of year," Kyle Okposo said. "Now we feel like we have a shot and we have to take advantage of it."

Although the Islanders were eight points out of the final playoff spot entering Thursday night, they have hope. "These are playoff-type games,'' Matt Moulson said, "and they're fun to play in."

The Islanders believe they are in the thick of the race, and they feel right at home.