The Carolina Hurricanes puttered out like an inland tropical storm against the Pittsburgh… The Carolina Hurricanes puttered out like an inland tropical storm against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and now a Detroit-Pittsburgh Stanley Cup finals rematch appears all but certain.

Pittsburgh’s best players rose to the occasion against the fatigued Hurricanes. The duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin overwhelmed Carolina with some of their best efforts of the playoffs. The Penguins are good when one of the pair shines, but they are Cup contenders when both excel. And Carolina never solved the problem of how to defend either of them.

Crosby and Malkin exposed the Hurricanes’ subpar defense, one that relied heavily on goaltender Cam Ward throughout the season. The Penguins netted 14 goals on Ward through three games, and though Ward hasn’t played poorly, his team’s lack of defense forced him to face nearly 40 shots per game.

While “clutch” usually describes late-game heroics and overtime game-winners, Crosby redefined the term. Sid the Kid has scored the first goal in an astonishing six playoff games entering Game 4. In a postseason in which the team that scores first usually wins, Crosby’s early tallies gave Pittsburgh momentum in addition to a 1-0 lead.

Crosby consistently gives Pittsburgh all his effort, but Malkin takes fans through a roller coaster of emotions with his up-and-down play. When his game is cold, Malkin turns the puck over, passes up chances to shoot and coasts through the neutral zone. When his game is hot, he outplays Crosby.

Malkin has played like the best player in the league against Carolina. Through three games, he had six goals and three assists — part of a six-game point streak. Before that, the inconsistent Malkin struggled mightily.

With the ultra-talented Detroit Red Wings on the horizon, the Penguins can’t afford to have Malkin in a slump.Last playoffs, Malkin tore up Ottawa, New York and Philadelphia, but when he hit Detroit in the finals, his great play evaporated. The result: the Red Wings knocked Pittsburgh off in six games to win the Stanley Cup.

It’s the same song again this year. The Penguins need Malkin at the top of his game if they want any chance against a Detroit group with all-stars throughout the lineup.

Six-time Norris Trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom patrols the blue line for the Red Wings, and Detroit coach Mike Babcock will match him up against one Pittsburgh line. Assuming that Babcock assigns him to shut down Crosby, Malkin will face Detroit’s lesser defensemen and have the chance to be the series-changer.

If Malkin and his linemates score against Detroit’s Chris Osgood the way they did against Ward and Washington’s Simeon Varlamov, the Penguins have a chance. If the line falls flat, cancel the parade.

Of course, this assumes Lidstrom plays. The veteran defenseman did not play Game 4 against Chicago because of a lower-body injury, and the Red Wings have been tight-lipped about his status. If he doesn’t play or plays hurt in the finals, the Penguins, Crosby especially, should have an easier time in the offensive zone.

That logic failed the Chicago Blackhawks, though. Despite a plethora of injuries that included Lidstrom and top-line forward Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit still pummeled Chicago, 6-1. The Red Wings now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

The Red Wings improved their lineup since their Stanley Cup win by adding the offseason’s top free agent, former Penguin Marian Hossa, last July. The championship-hungry Hossa signed with Detroit because he said he believed the Red Wings gave him the best chance at a Stanley Cup.

And if Pittsburgh wins the Cup over Detroit, more than one Penguins fan might find extra joy in the Marian Hossa subplot. Hossa as a Penguin watched Detroit win, then left Pittsburgh for Detroit only to watch — as a Red Wing — Pittsburgh win.

In fact, eight of last year’s Penguins, more than one-third of the team, aren’t with Pittsburgh anymore. Still, barring the unexpected, the matchup is the same, the fanbases are the same and the big names are the same.

But the Penguins and their fans hope the result isn’t the same.