Elated.

I've been sticking with the one word titles recently...not sure why. Just seems to fit my emotions perfectly each time.

Game five. A pivotal marker to see where the Finals will go. No contest.

Five goals to zero. That French-Canadian goalie warmin' the bench before the 40-minute mark. Dangling Datsyuk pulling tricks out of his cap early and often like he hadn't missed a game, let alone seven. The powerplay coming alive. Osgood's pass. Kronwall's presence down low and Datsyukian-like move for number three. Raffy's laser and Z's chin music to send Fleury packing. A meaningless third period. No stress.

The experience was amazing. After a rousing and hilarious viewing of the ridiculously hyped "The Hangover," which I would give a solid 4.5 stars, I managed to find a bar/restaurant with a couple friends to catch the game. It was already 10 minutes in, but I was just in time for the massacre about to take place.

Soon after I arrived, my fresh-legged, hetero-bromantic obsession threw out the rust factor theory and fed the Pride of Newfoundland for the game's first goal that rocked the Joe Louis faithful and gave the Wings the early lift they desperately needed. From then on, they shattered the Penguins' dreams of a road win and frustrated them beyond belief in the process.

The only game that comes to mind in comparison to this beautiful game is the 7-0 romp over the Avs in game seven of the 2002 West Finals. The tension leading up to that game was huge because whoever won that series would certainly be the eventual Cup champion, and it was still one of the most popular rivalries in sports. Then, Patty Roy let in a bunch of goals while the Wings flew towards Cup #10. I see the same happening after tonight, except with Cup #12 in their sights.

I can't help but wonder what Pittsburgh fans are feeling right now because I really don't know. Are they whining about the officiating? Are they embarrassed? Are they angry at the Wings or at their own supporting cast? Are they all of these things? I only ask because the game went completely to pieces after about the third or fourth goal, and numerous cheap shots were being thrown by Penguins players (even notable guys like Crosby and Malkin). Their poise, pride and sense of accomplishment after games three and four were all completely gone.

Amid the continual stream of stupid penalties, I found another comparison unlike the one before to Colorado in '02. How about game four in Chicago a week and a half ago? Those young 'Hawks showed the world that they weren't ready for the big stage against the class of the league by throwing elbows and crosschecks and roughing up every non-teammate in sight. It felt the same way tonight with the Pens. These young guns from Pittsburgh might have fresher legs and arguably more talent (not by my judgment, but by some), but it is shockingly clear that they do not have the maturity level of a champion yet. Not even close. That is probably the largest difference between Gretzky and Crosby, and thus the '80s Oilers and the '00s Penguins. Maturity gets you through periods of adversity. The Red Wings have it; the Penguins don't.

And that's where a lot of the dislike towards Crosby comes from. A true leader rarely whines; he doesn't lose his cool even in the most intense moments of a game. He leads by example and puts all the blame on himself if the team loses, even if he was the only player to show up and play well. Crosby is a phenomenal player; there is no disputing that. His vision is unmatched and he's the clear-cut choice over Ovechkin and Malkin as the most explosive player in hockey. There's a reason why Detroit has concentrated its efforts on him and let Malkin do his thing. Crosby is always dangerous when he's on the ice. He's quick, smart and incredibly skilled, but he needs to learn some leadership skills. His slash on Zetterberg (regardless of how much acting went into it) is exactly the kind of thing that shows why he doesn't always get the respect he deserves. Maybe he was threaded with the "C" too early, but that's not my argument. I think to gain the kind of admiration and respect from other NHL players (like Gretzky had) and not just the fans or the McGuires of the media or the league officials, he needs to start learning how to be a leader and understand that unlike in PeeWees, it's not always the best player on the ice who wears that "C" on their sweater.

Okay, enough about Crosby (or should I say..."Rosby" after that last paragraph! Ha ha!). It's pretty late and I'd like to wake up early enough to catch the French Open final. Tonight, it was all Red Wings and I'm very happy about that. If you couldn't tell from my last post, I was seriously doubting my team's chances at success after their performances Tuesday and Thursday. Luckily, they reassured my hopes tonight. Two days of rest should be helpful, and I can't wait to sport my Datsyuk jersey again on Tuesday. Just one more game stands in the way of a second consecutive championship. Let's do this. Go Wings. See you Tuesday.

I love the Triple Deke who loves Bruce MacLeod

Yep, I steal things and sometimes can't come up with anything to say on my own. But, via the Triple Deke via Red Wings Corner, I found this.

DATSYUK LOOKS TO BE RETURNING

UPDATE: Babcock just said that Datsyuk is a game-time decision. "We have an optional skate tomorrow morning and we'll see how he responds after that and after today. I have to talk to (trainer) Piet (Van Zant) and see how (Datsyuk) looks." Datsyuk also said that he would be a game-time decision tomorrow.

That said, Datsyuk was practicing hard today, doing drills for the first time in a long time. The practice lines were shuffled as though they were preparing for Pavel being back. It sure looks like Datsyuk will be back unless his body takes a step backwards after today's workout.

Also, Babcock just confirmed that Draper is back in the lineup, but said that he doesn't know who's out. Well, it sure looks like Abdelkader is out. Leino and Maltby were Draper's wings in practice. Draper, Maltby and Leino were off the ice for a half-hour while Abdelkader worked out.

I am excited, amazed, hopeful, and ecstatic. Don't even try to tell me Dats "won't be 100 percent" or "he won't be as quick" or any of that. A 60 percent Dangle Dangle is better than anyone on Pittsburgh's team. Yeah, I said it. He's that good. And if he's playing tomorrow? He's at least 80 percent. Look out, Penguins: You may have happy feet, but Datsyuk's about to put on his stompin' feet. Kill some birds, Pav. You better be out there tomorrow night; I've already got my hopes way up.

I'll be taking after my buddy Jake in game two and will be trying my own hand at some live twittering/tweeting/twatting for game four. It'll be here, if you have absolutely nothing to do whatsoever tomorrow night. See ya then. Go Wings.

Annoyed

Bah. So they're going to make it a series huh? Damn.

Despite the 4-2 Penguins victory to cut the Wings' series lead to 2-1, the Wings certainly could have won and had plenty of opportunities to do so.

The Penguins weren't outstanding, and the Wings played what I thought was their best game of the series. But their ugly penalty kill reared its head and eventually killed them in the third. I tend to think that interference call on Jonathan Ericsson was a terrible one, but I'm not going to do any more complaining about it because the Penguins got theirs in the first couple games. I will say, however, that I was not happy about that call last night. Not one bit.

So far, the overall outcomes of the series have been no different than last year. Detroit wins, Detroit wins, Pittsburgh wins. I see game four going the same direction as '08 and Detroit wins another tight one.

One suggestion: put Draper back in. He's superhuman on faceoffs and a force to be reckoned with on the penalty kill. Did I mention the penalty kill is the only weakness Detroit has shown thus far? Hmm...and we can make it better by playing a guy who's healthy but sitting on the bench? Do it Babs. Get 33 back in that lineup somehow.

Speaking of getting back in the lineup...man up Pavel. I have no idea what your injury is and I have no idea what kind of pain you're going through, but Coach Babs said the injury has healed enough and the decision to play is "up to him." So, I want you back in the lineup Dats. You've had a less-than-stellar postseason (quite invisible actually), but now's the time to shine. So pop an Advil, take a cortisone shot or do whatever you have to do to get up for the Finals. Because in all seriousness, we need ya for game four. I want to end this thing as soon as possible, and if you can lace up those skates for Thursday that goal will be much more likely. And so help me God if you don't feel up for it...ahh I can't stay mad at you. Just do what you can to get back. Please.

Overall, the Wings are still in good position. They are right where they have to be. Twelve is still on the horizon; the hungry hasn't gone away just yet. They'll come out with fire in game four. I'm ready for it. See ya Thursday. Go Wings.

Scooped by SI

Back in January, I made an argument about why Pavel Datsyuk is the best player in the NHL and has been since the lockout. This year, he's only three points shy of 100 and is having his best year yet. So for me, there's no question he's the choice for the Hart Trophy (MVP) this year. And apparently, more objective observers are starting to notice too.

Datsyuk has more than his share of YouTube highlights—"He can embarrass you wherever the puck is, on his stick or in his skates," Chicago right wing Patrick Sharp says—but, of course, that does not distinguish him from other stars such as Washington's effusive Alexander Ovechkin, whose celebration after his 50th goal last month lacked only pom-poms and a Sharpie, and Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Datsyuk, who has yet to score 35 goals or total 100 points in a season, had a career-high 32 goals and 63 assists through Sunday. He was 13 points back of the league-leading Malkin and 23 goals behind Ovechkin, who is favored to repeat as the MVP.

But if you are willing to wade a little deeper into the statistics, you don't need 20-20 vision to see that Datsyuk is the most efficient—and arguably most productive and valuable—of the Russian troika.

Datsyuk averages 19 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time a game, almost four minutes fewer than Ovechkin and about three fewer than Malkin. Of those 19-plus minutes, he spends an average of 3:26 on the power play (about two minutes fewer than the other two with the man-advantage) and 1:37 on the penalty kill (about 30 seconds more). Babcock also tends to use Datsyuk's line against opponents' most dangerous threesomes. Thus, Datsyuk not only plays less overall, he also gets significantly fewer minutes in prime scoring time. Still, he averages more points a minute than either Ovechkin or Malkin.

Throw in Datsyuk's first-rate 56.7 face-off percentage, and it becomes clear that his ability to accomplish so much in so little time should get him into the Hart Trophy debate.

That's from Michael Farber's new article in Sports Illustrated this week. The whole piece is great, as it highlights Pavel's hilarious commercial fame and talks up my favorite player in the league. And, because I can, I prefer to think Farber must have looked at my argument before writing his own story. Either that or he's saw The Triple Deke's new poll, which could be the best, and least arguable, thing I've ever seen.

The Red Wings have three games left before the season's over, and then the playoffs start on April 15th. I'm pumped slash terrified. It's about time to board the good ol' A2Y stress train (#23)...

Oh, and it's Masters week. Quite possibly the best week of the year. I'm thinking Tiger, as usual, but Cool-New-Look Lefty will definitely be up there too. Some guys to watch for are Nick Watney and Dustin Johnson though...I just have a good feeling about 'em.