2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Finals

Detroit Red Wings centre Pavel Datsyuk will be a game-time decision for Game 3 of the Western Conference final Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

Datsyuk, a Hart Trophy finalist who suffered a foot injury when struck by a shot in Game 2 of the series, has not scored in his last 11 playoff games.

If Datsyuk can’t go, the Wings will deploy Valtteri Filppula at centre between Marian Hossa and Tomas Holmstrom in Datsyuk’s normal spot.

Darren Helm will move up from the fourth line to centre Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler.

Ville Leino, who would be making his Stanley Cup debut, would move in on the fourth line with Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, who comes back in favour of Justin Abdelkader after sitting as a healthy scratch the three previous games.

"If you get to play, you'll be a little nervous and excited,'' Leino said. "I heard it's pretty hostile there. It's good, though. I’m looking forward to see what happens.''

Reunited?

Don’t be surprised if the Blackhawks, with last change on home ice, opt to reunite linemates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who were separated in Game 2.

"Probably a little bit," said Toews predicted of the chances. "I think we've played well when we've been together.”

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville anticipated no lineup changes for Game 3.

Says he’s sorry

San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick apologized to Detroit defenceman Chris Chelios for comments he made Tuesday on a Chicago morning radio show suggesting the reason Detroit coach Mike Babcock wasn’t playing Chelios was because he was anti-American.

“J.R. is J.R.,” Chelios said, noting that Roenick phoned to apologize. “The NHL would be boring without J.R.”

As far as Roenick’s accusations were concerned, Chelios said there was “nothing to it,” and that he’s never had any problems with Babcock.

"Like very other coach, it's all business,” Chelios said. “The only problem I've had with a coach is Mike Keenan, but he liked confrontations.''

Babcock admitted the whole episode left a bad taste in his mouth. “It bothered me, because it's a blatant lie,'' Babcock said.

Home cooking

Down 2-0 in this best-of-seven set, the Blackhawks hope to use the raucous crowd at the United Center to their advantage in Game 3.

“I think it's exciting,” Quenneville said of the atmosphere in his club‘s home rink. “It gives you an emotional charge, right from the outset of the national anthem. I just think it's a fun place to play.

“We've had different stretches where the crowds were at different noise levels, particularly our last game against Vancouver, where it was off the charts at the end.

"Guys like to play in that type of setting. But certainly it's to our advantage. We want to make sure we take advantage of it.”

Babcock wasn’t so sure that the setting would hamper his veteran club. “The crowd's not going to play any minutes, but there's going to be some energy in the building,” Babcock said. “I think you can build on it as a visitor, too.”

Cup tips

A dozen Blackhawks are playing in their first Stanley Cup playoff, but three of them -- goalie Nikolai Khabibulin (Tampa Bay, 2004) and forwards Andrew Ladd (Carolina, 2006) and Sammy Paulson (Anaheim, 2007) own Stanley Cup rings.

With the team facing its first real adversity of the playoffs, this is a time where they hope to lend a voice of reason to their young teammates.

"I just think you don't want to panic," Ladd said. “I think every team that goes through runs, they have a little adversity they have to face. I know in Carolina, our first round against Montreal the year we won, we lost our first two games at home and ended up winning that series in six.

“All you can do is focus on the Game 3. I guess that's the message we're going to try to get across, the importance of that game.”

Pahlsson wasn’t the least bit worried that the Blackhawks’ will had been dented by the back-to-back losses in Detroit.

“I don't think we have to calm down the team,“ Pahlsson said. “We have a good feeling on the team. We know we still have a chance, even though we're down 2-0.

“We have a little bit of a hill to climb, but it's not over yet.”

Seems familiar

Three Red Wings were with the team the last time Detroit traveled to Chicago for Game 3 of the Western Conference final, back in 1995: Draper, captain Nicklas Lidstrom and goalie Chris Osgood.”

“I remember that series well,” Lidstrom said. “Even though it was a five-game series [won by Detroit], three of the games went to overtime, so it was a lot like this series. Closer than it might look.”