The Penguins also haven’t had their mettle as seriously tested as the Wings did in the second round, when Detroit took out the Anaheim Ducks in a seven-game series that pitted the last two Stanley Cup champions against each other.

Pittsburgh’s seven-game series with the Washington Capitals wasn’t nearly as taxing, and in point of fact, the Eastern Conference playoff seeds weren’t anywhere near as deep as the opposition the Western Conference threw at the Wings.

Not that the veteran Wings are about to underestimate the Penguins, another advantage in their corner.

“They kept their important guys around and (Bill) Guerin’s been an important addition,” said Detroit backup goalie Ty Conklin, who filled that role for Pittsburgh a year ago. “There’s a lot of high-quality guys in that room and they’ve got a lot of good leadership in that room, a lot of character. It’s not too surprising that they’re back.”

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True, Pittsburgh is a much more determined, playoff-hardened club than the Penguins were a spring ago. But Detroit is exhibiting no signs of slowing down in that regard.

The best thing the Wings have going for them is that they are such an experienced team and yet, they really aren’t as old as people like to think. And their memories are strong enough to recall the tussle the Pens gave them in last year’s finals.

“They seem like they’re an all-around team, they have a bunch of guys from last year’s Cup run and a few other guys,” Detroit winger Kirk Maltby said. “It looks like (Bill) Guerin’s gelling well with Crosby, and they’re getting some scoring from other guys than just Malkin and Crosby. It also looks like (goalie Marc-Andre) Fleury’s on top of his game.

This will mark the 11th time that two teams have met in the Cup finals in successive seasons, albeit the first since the Islanders and Oilers did battle in 1983 and 1984. Interestingly, in seven of the previous 10 meetings, the same team that won the first time also won the second time.

History would suggest a better start is paramount to increasing Pittsburgh’s chances. The Pens fell behind quickly 2-0 in last year’s finals and of the seven teams that lost two years in a row, five of them trailed 2-0 in the second series, dooming them to another defeat.

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If Datsyuk and Lidstrom aren’t at the top of their game, that definitely would open a window of opportunity for the Penguins, since the likelihood that Detroit could throw a checking blanket over both Crosby and Malkin would appear doubtful.

It may be easier said than done, however.

The fallen Chicago players admitted that during what was for many their first playoff run, they’d never run across any team as determined as this Detroit club.

“It’s a lot different,” Chicago left winger Patrick Kane said. “The (Calgary) Flames and (Vancouver) Canucks were out there to kind of play defense, but here, we’re playing against guys like (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Johan) Franzen, and they want the puck, too. You’ve got to play defense against them.

“They play more in the offensive end, keeping the puck way too much. They’re definitely the hardest team in the league at backchecking. It’s amazing to see some of their superstars, how hard they backcheck. We can learn from guys like that.”

The question today is how much did the Penguins learn from the resilient, determined Wings a year ago?

We’ll find out soon enough.

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