2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Stanley Cup Final

The Detroit Red Wings look ready to welcome back two significant pieces of their puzzle into the lineup for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final against the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday at Mellon Arena. The Wings, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, will definitely insert centre Kris Draper, while barring an overnight setback, centre Pavel Datsyuk will also come back from a six-game absence due to a foot injury.

“What we’ll do is we’ll go for the optional skate in [Thursday] morning, see how he responded and see how he felt,” Babcock said of Datsyuk’s status for Game 4.

As far as Datsyuk is concerned, it’s a done deal. He’s going in Game 4. “I’m healthy now,” Datsyuk said. “But we’ll make [Thursday] a game decision.”

Datsyuk admitted he’d had a tough time watching the final, but insisted he’d found a way to deal with the stress. “I take in lots of beer,” he joked.

Draper a certainty

Babcock believes Draper’s veteran presence will give the club a boost and admitted that it was difficult to sit the four-time Cup winner as a healthy scratch the past two games.

“I think what made it easier is that he knows we won,” Babcock said. “He knows when it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Draper skated with Ville Leino and Kirk Maltby in Wednesday’s practice. Datsyuk worked with Valtteri Filppula and Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg was with Dan Cleary and Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler was with Mikael Samuelsson and Darren Helm.

Winger Tomas Holmstrom and defenceman Brian Rafalski did not skate.

“They’re available for [Game 4],” Babcock said. “Everybody is optional this time of year. If you need to go, go.”

Babcock hadn’t decided who to scratch from his lineup for Game 4, but Leino and rookie centre Justin Abdelkader seemed the likeliest candidates.

Healthy boost

The Wings were clearly buoyed by the notion that Datsyuk would be back aboard the ship for Game 4. “It would mean a lot,” Zetterberg said. “We’ve sure been missing him.

“He’s a big part of this team, he works really hard at both ends of the ice, so if he is a go, it will be very good for us.”

Zetterberg was of the belief that Datsyuk was ready to go.

“He had a big smile on his face at practice,” Zetterberg said. “He looked good.”

Not me

Captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who most would anoint as Detroit’s best player, instead presented that honour to Datsyuk.

“We know what he brought to the team during the regular season,” Lidstrom said. “He was the MVP. He’s up for the Hart [Trophy] for a reason. He has been playing well in the playoffs as well.

“If he has a chance to come back and play, it will be a huge boost for our team.”

Sammy solid

Left-winger Samuelsson was back to his old self after a brief bout of illness left him questionable for Game 3.

“In the morning, I felt sick, but I got better,” said Samuelsson, who missed Tuesday’s morning skate, but suited up for the game. “I don’t know what was going on.

“One day flu - or half a day flu, I guess.”

Z gets all A’s

As much as the Penguins are motivated by their Game 3 win, there’s one other battle that must start going their way for them to have any chance of taking the series.

For the second straight Cup final, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been systematically eliminated from the series by the smothering checking of Zetterberg.

Through three games, Crosby has one assist, that coming on a Pittsburgh power play Tuesday night.

Break down this head-to-head showdown and the man they call Z scores all A’s. While Crosby puts a minus-two rating next to his lonely assist, Zetterberg is plus-three, with a goal and two helpers.

Teammates aren’t surprised to see Zetterberg dominating this duel once again.

“He’s been big, battling hard,” Detroit defenceman Brad Stuart said of Zetterberg. “He’s a leader for us, all year long. He’s really stepped up and taken it to another level.”

Babcock sees a different Zetterberg in the playoffs than he saw during the regular season. “Z didn’t have a big year for us during the regular season by any means for his standard,” Babcock said. “I mean he was a great player, don’t get me wrong, but not for his standard.”

It’s challenges like this that fire up the soft-spoken Swede, and once again, he’s rising to the occasion.

“I believe he has a will tank deeper than anybody I’ve ever been associated with,” Babcock said. “His drive train is fantastic.”

Dan who?

Lidstrom apologized when someone asked if he remembered Penguins coach Dan Bylsma as a player. “Not really,” Lidstrom said. “I can’t remember a whole lot. I don’t mean that in a bad way.”

Bylsma, a right-winger with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks from 1995-2004, was part of two teams that faced the Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs - the 2000 Kings, who were swept by Detroit in the opening round and the 2003 Ducks, who swept the Wings in the first round.

“I think he was a hard-nosed player and he was out there killing penalties,” Lidstrom said. “That’s pretty much what I remember of him.”