DETROIT – Certainly, trailing Detroit, 2-0, in the Stanley Cup Final is not the best situation for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

However, heading back to Pittsburgh is definitely a positive.

The Penguins return to Mellon Arena’s friendly confines for Wednesday’s Game 3 and Saturday’s Game 4. 

“We’re not frustrated. We knew it was going to be tough,” Penguins winger Jarkko Ruutu said. “Going home, it’s going to be a great place for us and a tough place for them to play.” 

Not only did the Penguins struggle to earn a win at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, they didn’t score a goal in either game. 

“Whether you lose the game 4-0, 3-0, or 1-zip, it doesn’t really matter. The things that are important right now are wins and losses and we’re down two,” Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi said. “We’re surprised. We came in here expecting to at least get a win. But, there’s nothing we can do about it. We can either get down on ourselves and struggle in Game 3 or we can regroup and come out with a good effort in the first game in Pittsburgh.”

The Penguins hope to harness some of their home success against the Red Wings. The team is 8-0 on home ice – a franchise record for consecutive wins in one playoff year. The previous mark of six was set in 1992 as the Penguins won their last six home games of those playoffs en route to the Stanley Cup.

Overall, this Penguins squad has won 16-straight home games and is 17-0-2 in its last 19 home contests. The Penguins’ last home loss came nearly three months ago – Feb. 24 against San Jose in a shootout, 2-1.

“We played pretty hard. We just have to find a way to make that hard work pay off,” Penguins defenseman Hal Gill said. “We had our chances. We just have to find a way to put them in the net. If we get a bounce or a break and we get a goal, things change. We just have to plug away. We’re going home and that makes a big difference.”

The Penguins must solve the Red Wings’ ability to deny any sort of attack through the neutral zone.

“I definitely think they are good. But, I think it’s a matter of taking what they give us,” Scuderi said. “They clog up the neutral zone real well and don’t allow our forwards to come through with speed. We have to find a way to get some dirty goals and get the pucks to the net and somehow keep it the most-simple game we can play because they are obviously not giving us the things we’ve been able to capitalize on during the rest of these playoffs. We’re not going to give up. We’re down 2-zip and we’re not happy about it, but we’re not going to give up, by any means.” 

Despite the two shutouts, the Penguins certainly have had quality scoring chances. 

“We just have to execute. I mean, they got a few chances. Did they really get that many scoring chances on us? I don’t think they did,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “They got a few and put them in. And we hit a post and pucks go through us by the net that we don’t put in. That’s the difference, to be honest. They’re not getting that many scoring chances more than us. We’re not executing.

“We get odd-man rushes, very few, but when we get them, we have to capitalize on them. But by no means are they outchancing us by a whole lot. It’s just the nature of the game,” he continued. “It’s tight in the neutral zone. It’s like that for both teams. I mean, if they’re skating down every time, getting odd-man rushes and tons of chances, I’d be worried. But it’s the nature of the game, and they’re capitalizing and we’re not.”

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury knows that it’s just a matter of time before the team starts lighting the lamp.

“With the guys we have here, we don’t have to be worried,” he said. “Pucks are going to go in – we just have to keep shooting.”