Pavel Datsyuk's return to lineup Saturday should provide a boost for the Red Wings including fellow forward Henrik Zetterberg, who appeared tired in Game 4 at Pittsburgh. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Red Wings are back home in Detroit, where they took Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup final, are set to welcome back their top scorer from the regular season and can control what players they want to match up against the Pittsburgh duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Sounds as though everything is in place for the defending Cup champions to take a 3-2 series lead, right? Perhaps.

But how much can Detroit coach Mike Babcock lean on centre Pavel Datsyuk, who missed Games 1 to 4 with a foot injury? Will they get their special teams play turned around? And have tough series against Anaheim and Chicago started taking a toll on the Red Wings?

"For the first time in a couple of years, we saw a fatigued Detroit Red Wings squad" in Game 4 on Thursday, Hockey Night in Canada's Jeff Marek said leading into Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7:30 p.m. ET).

"When have you ever seen Henrik Zetterberg labouring skating back to the bench [as he did in Game 4]? He seems tired."

HNIC analyst Scott Morrison believes the Red Wings' fatigue might be more mental than physical, noting they managed 39 shots Thursday against Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who practically stole a victory for his team.

"We're seeing Detroit turn over the puck like I've never seen before," Morrison said following Game 4. "And virtually all the goals [Thursday] had some form of turnover or a misplay that allowed those young, speedy legs of the Pittsburgh Penguins to take advantage."

What hurt the Red Wings as much as giveaways in Game 4, Babcock noted, is their ongoing struggle on special teams. Pittsburgh is 4-for-9 on the power play in the first four games, while checking centre Jordan Staal's short-handed goal in Game 4 might have changed the entire momentum of the series.

"I've said this many times during the playoff run," Babcock told reporters Friday. "The greatest thing about this trophy is how hard it is [to win]."

Datsyuk returns after missing 17 days with a foot injury, but the jury is still out as to how effective he will be and whether he'll be limited to power-play duty. Babcock will be hoping his presence will get Tomas Holmstrom and former Penguins winger Marian Hossa out of their offensive funks.

Hossa, who signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Red Wings after losing to them in last year's Cup championship, leads Detroit with 94 shots in these playoffs but has only six goals in 20 games. Holmstrom, with two goals in the 2009 post-season, hasn't scored in the last three series.

The Red Wings must also find a way to solve Fleury, who was stellar at home after allowing some questionable goals, including two via caroms off the end boards, at Detroit.

HNIC analyst Kelly Hrudey credited Fleury for covering up a lot of mistakes Pittsburgh made in Game 4.

"He can anticipate a play and is not as emotional a goaltender as he used to be," said Hrudey, a former NHL netminder. "He's dealing with a lot of traffic [in front of his net but] doesn't allow that to bother him. Anticipation is the key, and he's really on top of his game now."

A year ago in Detroit, Fleury stopped 55 of 58 shots in the Penguins' triple-overtime win in Game 5.

Pittsburgh liked what it did at Joe Louis Arena this time around in Games 1 and 2, namely its physical play and aggressiveness and smarts in the neutral zone.

"We'd like to get more chances, bury more shots," defenceman Hal Gill said, "but the biggest thing we want to do is to spend more time in" the Red Wings' zone.

Detroit, meanwhile, would like to do a better job of keeping the puck, a strength of theirs in winning four of the past 11 Stanley Cups.

"For some reason, we kind of enjoy answering the bell," checking winger Kirk Maltby said. "We're still a winning team."