Evgeni Malkin, right, and Sidney Crosby sit 1-2 in the playoff scoring race. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Penguins looked better in the first two games of this year's Stanley Cup final against the Detroit Red Wings than they did a year ago, but it gives them little solace heading home for Game 3 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 8 p.m. ET).

That's because the Penguins still find themselves exactly where they were at this point last year — down 2-0 in the series and looking for answers.

It's hard enough squaring off against a team like the Red Wings, who rarely make mistakes and can play any style they want.

Now throw in the fact that the Penguins easily could have won one or both games in Detroit, and you have a perfect recipe for Pittsburgh frustration.

Or do you?

"I don't think we should be frustrated," defenceman Sergei Gonchar said. "I don't think we are frustrated, because the series is not over. We're playing better, we're having chances and the series is not over.

"Going into this series, we knew it's not going to be easy. We're playing against a great team. And we knew it was going to be tough."

Detroit outscored the Penguins 7-0 while dominating the first two games at Joe Louis Arena in the 2008 final. But this year, Pittsburgh found itself tied 1-1 in Game 1 and up 1-0 in Game 2, before losing both by 3-1 scores.

The Penguins outshot the Wings in both games. In the previous three rounds combined, Detroit was only outshot three times.

"They've been better at getting the timely goal," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "They've been better at that net front area and getting the loose pucks. That's a credit to them. That's how they play. They've got the dirtier goals. That, a lot of times, is what playoff hockey comes down to."

Osgood: MVP?

The Red Wings have also been getting a Conn Smythe-worthy performance from goalie Chris Osgood.

The 36-year-old from Peace River, Alta., was cited by many as a likely reason the Red Wings wouldn't repeat as Stanley Cup champions this year, with most pointing to his dismal 3.09 goals-against average and .887 save percentage during the regular season as proof.

All the four-time Stanley Cup winner has done since then is post a 1.95 GAA in the playoffs, and he has stopped 63 of 65 Pittsburgh shots so far in the finals.

"I don't care about the regular season," Osgood said. "The playoffs are fun. That's why you play to get to this point. Everything since January was getting ready for the playoffs."

Depth is the other key reason why Detroit is up 2-0 in the series. Be honest: how many of you had Justin Abdelkader in your finals pool before the series started?

The 22-year-old fourth-liner from Muskegon, Mich., (a 2½-hour drive from Detroit) has both insurance goals in the Red Wings' two victories at home, making him the leading goal-scorer in the series right now.

The tallies put Abdelkader in the record book too, as he's the first player in NHL history to score in the opening two games of the finals without having ever scored before in the league.

"You know, I'm just trying to get the puck on the net and stay with it as much as I can, and I got some lucky bounces," he said. "You put the puck on the net and you never know."

Crosby needs a boost

To have any chance at winning Game 3, the Penguins need to get captain Sidney Crosby on the scoresheet.

Sid the Kid's statline in the finals reads like this: no goals, no assists, seven shots on net, and a minus-1 rating. It's the first time Crosby has been held goalless in two straight games during the 2009 playoffs.

The main culprit behind Crosby's lack of production is Detroit centre Henrik Zetterberg, who has been his shadow for the first two games of the series.

It could help that the Penguins are returning home — getting the last change gives coach Bylsma a chance to keep the young superstar away from his main checker.

"We may give [Crosby] different looks, depending on the situation of the game," Bylsma said.

Pittsburgh winger Evgeni Malkin must have been upset at how Zetterberg was treating his teammate, because he found it fit to drop the gloves (and the entire top half of his equipment) to tussle with the Swede in the dying seconds of Game 2.

The fight cost Malkin 17 minutes in penalties (five for fighting, two for instigating, and a 10-minute misconduct), but not a suspension as it normally would have in the regular season. NHL rules dictate that if a player starts a fight in the final five minutes of a contest, he's out for the next game.

But NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell overturned it right away, and Malkin will suit up for Game 3.

It's just as well for the Penguins, who have relied chiefly on Malkin and Crosby for most of their Stanley Cup run. The duo sits 1-2 in the playoff scoring race, with Malkin's 30 points just ahead of Crosby's 28. Malkin has a goal and an assist in the series, but is minus-2.

Traffic key to scoring

Getting traffic in front of Osgood should be priority No. 1 for Pittsburgh. The Detroit goalie has been fantastic, but he's also had a clear crease and easy sightlines to work with. Parking a Penguin right on his doorstep might improve the team's chances of scoring.

That's easier said than done, though, when you're dealing with the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart and Brian Rafalski on the Wings' back-end.

Pittsburgh also has to do a better job of clearing the crease in front of it own netminder, Marc-André Fleury. He's been shaky in the first two games of the series, and the constant traffic from forwards Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom, among others, can't be helping his psyche.

"We've got a lot of confidence in Marc," right-winger Tyler Kennedy said. "We know he's going to bounce back. I think he's playing well, but everyone's expecting him to be a miracle-worker. But he's going to bounce back, and we believe in him."

If Pittsburgh's looking for hope in the NHL record book, it won't find any. When a squad has gone up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup final, it has won the title in 31 of 32 tries.

It's likely that the Red Wings and Penguins will go with the same lineups heading into Game 3. That means no Kris Draper for Detroit, meaning he'll be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

"I'm not a big change guy, especially when things are going good," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Detroit's leading scorer in the regular season (and Hart Trophy candidate) Pavel Datsyuk will continue to miss time because of his foot injury.