CHICAGO — In the days leading up to the Stanley Cup finals, teammates just had to ask Marian Hossa: Are you nervous?

After all, he had been there the past two years with Pittsburgh and Detroit — and lost — and during the layoff, he couldn't avoid the rush from his teammates.

"We asked him, 'Are you more nervous about this one now? Third time's gotta be the charm, right Hoss?"' winger Adam Burish said. "He's like, 'I'm not even nervous, guys. It's almost like I don't get nervous now."

The first player to reach the Stanley Cup finals three straight years with three different teams, Hossa has a unique hat trick. This time, he's looking for a different outcome.

The Blackhawks are looking to end their 49-year championship drought and are off to a good start, thanks to Hossa. In the wild 6-5 series-opening win, he had assists on Troy Brouwer's two goals. Then, he added a rebound goal of his own in Monday's 2-1 win that gave Chicago a 2-0 series lead.

"Definitely, I know I go a long way in the past and I know I'm in the same situation," he said. "You know we've got good things going on right now, winning both games at home is really great for our confidence and really great for momentum."

As for his goal?

He called it a "garbage goal" and said, "I know I was looking for some kind of goal like that to get the offense going."

The title quest has been driving him, all the way from Pittsburgh to Detroit and Chicago the past few years. He keeps coming close.

He was right there two years ago with Pittsburgh after being dealt from Atlanta at the deadline, shedding his reputation as a playoff underachiever while helping Sidney Crosby and the Penguins reach the finals.

Hossa scored a team-leading 12 goals during that run, cutting Detroit's lead to one with 87 seconds left in Game 6 and nearly tying it in the closing seconds when he swiped at Crosby's backhander from alongside the right post. The puck went across the crease but not in the net, and the Red Wings prevailed.

Then, they got a discount from Hossa.

He signed a one-year, $7.45 million deal with Detroit even though the Penguins were offering $7 million a season as part of five-year contract, hoping the cut rate would lead to a title payoff.

Instead, the net gain was about the same.

Hossa scored 40 goals for the Red Wings in the regular season but just six in the playoffs while battling a shoulder injury that required surgery after he signed with Chicago.