DETROIT -- The Penguins had home-ice advantage for the first three rounds of these playoffs.

Considering that they've gone 8-0 at Mellon Arena during the post-season and have won 16 in a row there since Feb. 24, that was no small edge.

It is, however, one they won't enjoy during the Stanley Cup final against Detroit, which begins with Game 1 tonight at 8:08 at Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings earned home ice by running up a league-high 115 points during the regular season, while the Penguins accumulated 102.

Detroit went 7-1 at Joe Louis during Rounds 1-3, outscoring its opponents, 25-12, so there's no question being at home is a plus for the Wings. The real issue is how much of a negative, if any, it will be for the Penguins, who were 4-2 in games played at Ottawa, New York and Philadelphia.

Not surprisingly, they insist that opening on the road for the first time will not have a meaningful impact on their approach to the series.

"I don't think it should matter," right winger Marian Hossa said.

While there are some practical repercussions to playing on the road -- the most important being that the home team gets to make the final personnel change, which makes it easier for that coach to get the matchups he wants -- the Penguins contend the significance of those factors can be diluted if they execute their game plan efficiently.

"If we come out there and play our system, play the way we can, up to our potential, we don't have to worry about too many of those other things," forward Adam Hall said.

The conventional wisdom is that, while the home team's mandate is to hold serve by winning the first two games of a series, the visitors' realistic objective is to win one of those two, thus positioning themselves to capture the series if they can win their home games.

"When you start on the road, you want to get at least one game," center Max Talbot said.

Odds are that if the Penguins were offered a guarantee that they could take one victory out of the first two games, they would take it. Gladly.

Defenseman Hal Gill, however, believes they should aim for something more lofty, that the Penguins will be best-served if they enter the series committed to nothing less than carrying a 2-0 lead into Game 3 Wednesday at Mellon Arena.

"I don't believe in taking a split," he said. "We want to go out and win the first one, then go out and worry about winning the second one."

Although most of the Penguins have limited experience playing at Joe Louis because they have spent little, if any, time in the Western Conference, the first three rounds have prepped them for what they'll face here.

"We know what we're in for," Gill said. "We went through Philly, we went through some pretty good crowds in New York."

Right winger Georges Laraque is one of those who knows all about playing in Detroit, having spent most of his career with Edmonton and Phoenix, and he acknowledges the boost the Red Wings can get from their home crowd.

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"Their fans, they know their hockey and they're loud," he said. "It's a great hockey town. Just awesome.

"We love playing in a building like that. Because of Sid[ney Crosby], we're used to that. Some people might be intimidated to play in a building like that, but not us.

"It's fun. That's what the playoffs are all about."

Hall is even more familiar than Laraque with what games here are like because he not only broke into the NHL with Nashville, but played college hockey at Michigan State.

Consequently, he competed in regular-season games at Joe Louis, as well as some in the annual Great Lakes Invitational tournament and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association finals.

"Joe Louis always has a rambunctious and rowdy crowds," he said. "That will help us play better, too. When the crowd's going, it fires up both teams."

Ultimately, though, the series will be decided not by public support, but by performance. The Penguins fully expect to get the best from Detroit, and are intent on responding in kind.

"We're aware of what we have to do," Gill said. "We have to be ready.

"It's the Stanley Cup final. Everyone knows everyone's coming hard. We have to go out and do the same."

No matter where they are playing.