CASPER
New member
DETROIT – Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said on Saturday that he will have regular-season leading scorer Pavel Datsyuk in the lineup for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.
Datsyuk has been out for seven games with a foot injury. He was close to returning for Game 4 on Thursday night, but didn't play after skating in the pregame warmup.
"I thought he was going last game even after the trainer ... told me he probably wasn't," Babcock said. "Then when we saw the warmup, we still thought he was going, so he's going."
Babcock will use Datsyuk, who scored 97 points this season, on the wing instead of center, at least at the start.
"We're going to see how he does," Babcock said. "If he looks like himself, he'll be in the middle."
Datsyuk has been out for seven games with a foot injury. He was close to returning for Game 4 on Thursday night, but didn't play after skating in the pregame warmup.
"I thought he was going last game even after the trainer ... told me he probably wasn't," Babcock said. "Then when we saw the warmup, we still thought he was going, so he's going."
Babcock will use Datsyuk, who scored 97 points this season, on the wing instead of center, at least at the start.
"We're going to see how he does," Babcock said. "If he looks like himself, he'll be in the middle."
