(Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins hope a return to the Steel City can help them erase an 0-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup finals, as they host the Detroit Red Wings tonight in Game 3 at Mellon Arena.

The Red Wings dominated Pittsburgh in Games 1 and 2 in Motown, shutting out the high-powered Penguins in both games. Detroit posted a 4-0 triumph in the series opener on Saturday and then followed up with a 3-0 decision in Monday's meeting at Joe Louis Arena.

Chris Osgood made 22 saves in Monday's encounter to post his second consecutive shutout and help stake the Red Wings to the two-game lead in the best-of-seven series.

Osgood has stopped all 41 shots he has faced against the Pens in becoming the first goaltender to shut out the opposition in the first two games of the finals since Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils blanked Anaheim in Games 1 and 2 in 2003. The Devils went on to defeat the Ducks in seven games.

The only time a goaltender notched three straight shutouts to begin a Cup finals was in 1945 when Toronto's Frank McCool achieved the feat against the Red Wings.

Osgood has been terrific throughout the playoffs, going 12-2 with a superb 1.38 goals against average and .939 save percentage. The 35-year-old is trying to win his second Stanley Cup title as Detroit's No. 1 goaltender. Osgood also led the Red Wings to the second of two straight championships in 1998.

The Red Wings goaltender comes into tonight's test with a shutout streak of 137 minutes and 33 seconds.

Valtteri Filppula and Brad Stuart each had a goal and an assist while Tomas Holmstrom also lit the lamp for the Red Wings, who are looking for their fourth Stanley Cup title in the past 11 years.

Johan Franzen also recorded an assist in his first game back since missing the previous six tests with concussion-like symptoms. Franzen, who suffered the injury in Game 1 of the conference finals against Dallas, has 12 goals and 16 points in 12 playoff games this year. Despite his lengthy absence, Franzen is tied with teammate Henrik Zetterberg for the most goals in this year's postseason.

Marc-Andre Fleury was charged with all three goals on 34 shots for the Penguins, who are in the finals for the first time since winning the Cup in 1992.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, winner of the Hart and Art Ross Trophies last season, has nine shots in this series, but has obviously failed to register a point. He came into the series tied with Zetterberg for the most points in the playoffs with 21, but the Red Wings superstar now holds the lead with 23 points.

Crosby's teammate and fellow centerman Evgeni Malkin's struggles stretch back even further to the Penguins' conference finals series against Philadelphia. Since posting two goals and an assist in Game 1 against the Flyers, the 21- year-old Malkin has notched just one goal and one assist in six games.

Malkin, who is a finalist for this year's Hart Trophy, has 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 16 playoff contests this year.

Pittsburgh was the best home team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, going 26-10-5 at the Igloo. In fact, the Pens are 8-0 at home in the playoffs and haven't dropped a game in the Steel City since losing to San Jose on February 24.

The Red Wings were one of the best road teams in the NHL during the regular season, posting a 25-12-4 mark away from Michigan. Detroit is 5-3 as the visiting in the playoffs and has won five of six on the road since losing two straight in Nashville in the opening round.

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

The Red Wings came into this series as the favorites, having won the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the NHL during the regular season. Pittsburgh was the Atlantic Division champion and the second- seeded team in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams took impressive paths to the Cup finals this year, as the Penguins rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record and Detroit claimed the West championship by winning 12 of 16 games. The Red Wings even set a franchise record at one point with nine consecutive victories this postseason.

Detroit defeated Nashville in six games during the opening round, swept Colorado in the following series, and beat Dallas in six tests of the conference finals.

The Penguins swept Ottawa in the first round and defeated the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers in five games during the conference semifinals and finals, respectively.

Because of the NHL's unbalanced schedule, Pittsburgh and Detroit have met sparingly during the regular season in recent years and the clubs have never faced off in the playoffs. The teams didn't play in 2007-08, but Detroit has won the last two regular-season meetings and five of six overall.