Starting the season off at home always gives your team a bit of an edge, to the point where you begin to second guess whether it's best for player evaluation. Seeing your players react to the struggle of a road trip is beneficial in a twisted sort of way; it requires a different mental state of mind, not to mention is more physically tiring.
Those who can survive the grind are more likely to be the ones that you'll lean on later in the season, so it's good to get a taste of it quickly. After a few weeks, the Marlies finally had that chance, with three games in three nights in small-town New York.