from Michelle Crechiolo of PittsburghPenguins.com,

There's a lot of outside negativity surrounding the Penguins after losing two straight games on the road to Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final.

That negativity hasn't crept inside the Penguins locker room.

The Pens are a confident, excited group heading into Game 5 of what is currently a tied series. They're returning home to an arena they've been excellent in all year, and they believe they'll get the result they want if they continue to play the same way.

"I'm proud of my team, I'm proud of every player here," Evgeni Malkin said. "It's not an easy season for us, so many injuries. But we're still playing, we're a good team and I know tomorrow we'll play so hard and it's a good situation for us. (The series is) 2-2, we're even. We're playing tomorrow here at home, it's a good chance to lead the series."

One storyline that followed the team back to Pittsburgh is that the Pens haven't been getting enough from Malkin and Kessel this series. However, Malkin scored in each of the first two games of the Final and leads the NHL with 26 points in 23 games. While he may not have tallied in the next two, he knows what he needs to do to improve for Game 5.

"It's not easy but I know I can be better, myself," he said. "Play more with the puck. Hold onto the puck a little more. I like to play with the puck. It's not easy, we're playing against a good team, but just play the same as we did the first two games at home. I think it's fine. Just a little harder, play with the puck a little more and use Phil more."

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