DETROIT -- The Penguins have not forgotten what it felt like to lose to Detroit in the Stanley Cup final a year ago.

They likely never will.

"It's not something I want to go through again," center Jordan Staal said. "I can't say I can really describe it. It was one of the hardest moments of my life, so far.

"It's a deep blow that no one wants to go through. I don't know if I'm over it yet. It's still there, at times. It's always still a bitter feeling."

Painful as the experience of losing to the Red Wings in six games was, however, it's a big part of the reason the Penguins are optimistic about their chances of winning this Cup final, which begins with Game 1 at 8:08 p.m. today at Joe Louis Arena.

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Tonight

• Matchup: Penguins at Detroit Red Wings, 8:08 p.m. today, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit.

• Internet: Live game blog at Empty Netters

• TV, radio: WPXI, WXDX-FM (105.9).

• Series: 0-0.

• Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins. Chris Osgood for Red Wings.

• Penguins: Coming off sweep of Carolina and are 12-5 in these playoffs. ... Cs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead playoffs with 28 points each. ... Were 1-1 vs. Detroit in regular season.

• Red Wings: Coming off five-game win against Chicago and are 12-4 in this postseason. ... Nicklas Lidstrom leads defensemen with 13 points. ... Power play ranks third, 25.7 percent.

• Hidden stat: Detroit has won 48 playoff games in a row when it scores 4 goals, dating to 1998.

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A year ago, everything about the Cup final -- all the splendors and stresses and distractions that go with performing on the game's greatest stage -- was new to most of them.

And it showed, especially when the Red Wings spanked them in the first two games, 4-0 and 3-0, to gain an advantage they never relinquished.

"Last year, we were all excited," Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. "We had big eyes, like kids. 'We're in the final.' Pretty much, we weren't focusing on our task, and what we were going to do. This year, everyone is really focused. We have a goal, and we want to achieve it."

The Penguins' first official act of the final came shortly after they arrived in midafternoon. Rather than going to their hotel to relax or discuss dinner plans, they headed for a mandatory media session, similar to one the Red Wings had just conducted.

They understand that it's all part of generating interest in the series and trying to expand the sport's fan base, but it's one of the things teams don't have to go through until they get to a Cup final.

"It's all stuff we didn't know about [in 2008]," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "But, now that we've been through it, we know a little more about what to expect."

A year ago, they learned what the Red Wings are capable of the hard way, much as Chicago seemed to in its five-game loss to Detroit in the 2009 Western Conference final. Especially in a crushing 6-1 loss on home ice Sunday, when the Blackhawks needed a victory to even the series.

The Red Wings were simply too deep, too disciplined and too experienced for Chicago to handle.

"It kind of reminded us of the first two games we played against [Detroit in 2008]," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "You look up and down their lineup, and it's not a physically [imposing] lineup, but it's a team you can't intimidate at all.

"It's a team that's really patient. They actually want you to run out of position and try to make hits on them. That's when they take advantage of you, with odd-man rushes and stuff like that. The stuff after the whistle, they just skate away from you. You're almost wasting your time and energy."

The Red Wings, like the Penguins, play an up-tempo style based on puck-possession and try to keep play in the opponents' end of the ice. Detroit has excellent depth and balance up front which, coupled with their aggressive approach, gave the Penguins fits in 2008.

"They came at us pretty hard the first two games, and we weren't really ready for it," defenseman Hal Gill said. "We're a different team. We're a little more aggressive now.

"We're better-suited to take that. I'm sure they're going to come hard in the first period in the first two games, when they have home ice, and I think our team is better-suited to come back at them and play our aggressive style."

Spotting the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in that series doomed the Penguins. This team has proven to be considerably more resilient.

"We went down, 2-0, to Washington [during Round 2], and no one panicked, in part because of the experience we had last year," defenseman Rob Scuderi said.

"This year, whatever happens in Game 1, I'm sure we're going to bounce back and play another good game, regardless of whether we win or lose. That experience taught this locker room a good lesson or two."

Which, the Penguins hope, will make the difference between playing for a championship and earning one.

"We were there, and we've seen it, and now we want to win," Gill said.

"It's not about getting there. It's about winning."