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PITTSBURGH -- If this Stanley Cup finals series appears to be the mirror image of last year's, it might be more fun-house mirror than straight reflection.

True, the Detroit Red Wings did win twice to open both finals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins pushed back to win Game 3 in both instances. And if the Wings come up with a win Thursday in Game 4 -- as they did a year ago -- the carbon-copy theory will have more legs.

But peel back that carbon paper, and you'll see many differences in the dynamics of these finals as we approach what looms as the pivotal game in this series.

The results of the first three games have been similar, "but the games have been played a lot different where I thought, you know, the games have been played at a higher competition level and a lot closer than they have before," Detroit netminder Chris Osgood said.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh forward Maxime Talbot, who had two goals in Game 3, said the Penguins realize from last season how crucial Thursday night will be.

"We know how big this Game 4 is now because we lost it last year, and it was hard to come back from a 3-1 deficit," Talbot said Wednesday. "This year, we're just a little bit more aware. We know we need to win this game."

Herein some of the major differences between then and now:

Rockin' Malkin

So, we learned that Evgeni Malkin does, indeed, have a sense of humor, when he threw his teammate Talbot under the bus Wednesday. But the other thing we've learned this spring is that Malkin is in no danger of hitting the proverbial wall.

A year ago, he failed to register a point in the first four games of the finals and finished with one goal and two assists. He has five points through the first three games this year and has recorded points in nine of the past 10 playoff games. He has seven multipoint games during that period.

Part of Malkin's production can be attributed to the fact that Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are spending most of their time focusing on Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. But Malkin is fully engaged compared to a year ago, when he said he was feeling a bit sick.

"It [was] my first year in the NHL. I [was] learning how to play in playoffs," Malkin said Wednesday. "[Now] it's my second final. I feel great now. And last year, I was a little bit sick, and now I feel great. My teammates help me every time, and Coach, too. I'm trying [to] play a little bit hard and physical more. Of course, I'm learning how to play now."

Crosby said he notices a difference in Malkin's energy level.

"Yeah, I think it's just probably, if anything, energy," Crosby said. "He looks like he's full of it out there. And this time of the year, that's always a big challenge -- especially for a guy that's going to get keyed on like him, there's not a lot of space. And, you know, to have that extra energy, that's so important. You need that."

The power play

In last season's pivotal fourth game, the Penguins squandered a five-on-three that lasted 1 minute, 27 seconds and dropped a 2-1 decision that put them in a 3-1 series deficit from which they never recovered.

Through the first four games a year ago, they managed just four goals in total. In this series, the Penguins matched that with four goals in Game 3 alone. More critically, perhaps, the Penguins' power play has been dangerous. They've scored twice on the power play in Game 3 and once during the first two games in Detroit.

The penalty kill has been a bugaboo for the Red Wings this spring, as they rank 14th among the 16 playoff teams in penalty killing.

Although there has been some grumbling among media types that the standards of officiating have declined in these finals and that too much obstruction is going uncalled, the Penguins say they are determined to keep forechecking aggressively and hope they draw more penalties.

"As long as we get our speed through the neutral zone as much as we can, get pucks deep and force them to hold us up," Crosby said.

That is exactly the situation that led to the Pens' winning goal in Game 3 when Matt Cooke was interfered with by Jonathan Ericsson midway through the third period. Sergei Gonchar scored on the ensuing power play.

"So that's why every chance is important, and I do believe that it's one of the areas that we can have a chance to score on," Gonchar said Wednesday. "All of us knew the power play is one of the most important things going into this series, and it's why I think we have a chance to score on those chances, because we're all prepared and we'll work on it."

Detroit coach Mike Babcock said he looked at the tapes of Game 3 on Wednesday and wasn't pleased that his team gave up two power-play goals by allowing passes and failing to clear the zone.

"So our penalty kill hasn't been great all year long. We've had moments where it's been real good, but it hasn't been great," Babcock said. "So the bottom line is we need it to be great. It was great against Anaheim in Game 7 when we needed it. It was real good against Chicago when we needed it. Last night we needed it, and it let us down."

Health of the Wings

A year ago, the Wings were a relatively healthy and rested bunch at this point. That isn't the case this time around. Hart Trophy nominee Pavel Datsyuk (foot) has yet to play a game in the Cup finals, although he'll give it a try during the pregame skate Thursday morning and see how he feels. A healthy Datsyuk could have been employed against Malkin, who has been allowed to roam a little more freely and has picked up four assists in the Cup finals.

Defenseman Andreas Lilja (concussion) also is missing, while veteran forward Kris Draper (groin) will play his first game of the finals Thursday night. Six-time Norris Trophy winner Lidstrom returned in time for Game 1 after missing a pair of games, while impressive rookie blueliner Ericsson also came back after missing the clinching game of the Western Conference finals following an appendectomy.

Thursday will be Detroit's fourth game in six days following only a two-day break between series. The compressed schedule and the banged-up bodies had the Wings' brain trust fretting privately. On Sunday night after going up 2-0 in the Cup finals, Babcock dismissed any notion his team had managed to avoid being affected by the back-to-back start.

"I think it's hurt us. Don't kid yourself," Babcock said. "I thought we were exhausted out there tonight. It's amazing what will does for you. We talked about that before the game. You've got to will yourself through, grind it out."

Tuesday night in Game 3, even though a number of Red Wings players denied it, they may have lost a little steam in the third period before losing 4-2. We'll see how much juice Detroit has Thursday night.

Zetterberg versus Crosby

Just like last year at this point, Detroit's Zetterberg is winning the star matchup with Crosby. The Penguins' captain is doing everything in his power, but Zetterberg's defensive coverage, in conjunction with the top Detroit blue-line pairing of Lidstrom and Rafalski, has once again given Sid the Kid his toughest test of the season. And, of course, when Zetterberg isn't working Crosby over defensively, he's trying to beat him offensively, as he did Tuesday night when he scored Detroit's first goal.

"When I play against him, I expect to be tightly checked," Crosby said Wednesday. "But I also realize when I go back to my own end, I have to make sure I'm responsible, too. So that's not always the case with every guy you play in that type of role. But with him, you know, that's the way it is. So it's a challenge. It's a matchup, but these are the battles that you have to find ways to win."

Crosby needs a little help from his friends, too. Wingers Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz need to step up their games to support their star center in this difficult matchup. They haven't done it yet.

Babcock was brilliant in the way he was able to keep Zetterberg on Crosby, even without the last line change in Game 3. But in hockey talk, he believed he "chased" the matchup just a little too much, such as double-shifting Zetterberg at times to get him back out there against Crosby. That led to Zetterberg's playing 24 minutes, 19 seconds -- a tad too much for Babcock's liking.

Pens' experience and confidence

The Red Wings lead 2-1 yet again in the finals, but the Penguins believe they're a different team this time around.

"Last year, coming back home, yes, we won Game 3, but I remember coming back home, where we were not as confident," Talbot said. "They dominated us. They shut us down the first two games in Detroit. This year, I felt like we competed way better. We had chances to win both games."

Crosby agreed with Talbot. This year's team believes it has a shot against the juggernaut Wings compared to a year ago.

"I think we're a lot happier with the way we've played," Crosby said Wednesday. "You know, last year, the first two games, I look back on those, and we weren't happy at all. We knew we had a lot of work to do. We hadn't found our game yet.

"But I feel like at this point, we know what it takes. We know what makes us successful, and we've been pretty consistent at doing that with exception to the second period in the last game."

We'll know how different it is Thursday night. If the Pens play a tentative game, then it means all this talk about being a more experienced team is all hot air. It must be proven in Game 4.

A creative coach

Dan Bylsma has earned the respect of the Red Wings in this series. In fact, there are similarities in how both teams play, attacking with skill while remaining committed to defense.

Bylsma took over for Michel Therrien, who was behind the Pittsburgh bench a year ago. The Pens' coach has his hands full in this series, though, with his counterpart (and former coach) Babcock. The Detroit coach has been adept at getting Zetterberg, Rafalski and Lidstrom on the ice almost every time Crosby is on the ice.

There are other coaching challenges.

Early in the series, Bylsma took a timeout after defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi got caught out on a long shift. The Red Wings scored anyway. The next game, he chose not to call a timeout after a lengthy shift and an icing call, but the Red Wings scored. Asked whether he thinks coaches have to elevate their game as the playoffs go on, Bylsma said it depends on the opponent.

"I don't think it's just because it's the finals," he said. "I think it's because it's Mike Babcock and the Red Wings. So each series is a little bit different, and this one is presenting different situations."

Still, the Penguins have no doubt bought into Bylsma's system and believe that if they stick to that system, they will win.

"I think, over the course of time, we realized what makes us successful and what doesn't," Guerin said. "And I think that's probably the biggest thing is that we can always rely on our system and get back to that if things aren't going our way. I think last night was pretty evident that the second period wasn't the way we wanted to play. We got away from our game. But came back in the third, and we were able to get right back into it. So I think that's probably the biggest thing."

Home is where the heart is

Last year, when the Penguins lost Game 4 of the finals, it marked the first time in 10 postseason games they lost at Mellon Arena. They went on to lose again on home ice two games later, as the Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup in the Penguins' backyard.

This year, the Penguins haven't been as dominant on home ice in the playoffs, as they carry a 7-2 home record into Game 4. Both home losses have come in potential elimination games, Game 5 against Philadelphia and Game 6 against Washington. Their 6-5 road record includes three straight series-clinching victories. The Wings, meanwhile, have been terrific at Joe Louis Arena, going 10-1 at home this spring. On the road, though, they are only .500 with a 4-4 record.

The new and improved Max Talbot

A year ago, Talbot was a fourth-line energy guy, making big hits and killing penalties. Today, he's a top-six forward with six playoff goals already this spring. The Red Wings are facing a different player.

"He's been known to score big goals, not only in the NHL, but throughout his whole career," Crosby said Wednesday. "I played junior against him, and he was a big-game player. He was always known for that in junior, and he's brought that to the NHL. So he's played a lot of different roles and showed how important he is to our team."

Talbot has patiently waited for this kind of chance. He's the ultimate team guy and has accepted whatever role the Penguins have given him.

"You know, I feel lucky to be on the ice with great players," Talbot said. "Playing with Geno, being in those situations, last year, I remember in Game 5, I had a chance to take the goalie and take [Marc-Andre Fleury] being the sixth man on the ice, and being in the right place at the right moment.

"It's just, I've been in those situations. I love the challenge, I love being there, and it's definitely fun."

He scored again in Game 3, and his contributions must continue for the Penguins to have a chance.

Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun cover the NHL for ESPN.com.