Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper Might Return For Game 4

After missing six consecutive games with a foot injury, Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk appears to be inching closer to a return, as he's expected to be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 4 in Pittsburgh. In the past three games, he had yet to make it to "game-time decision."

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According to Bruce MacLeod, Datsyuk took part in all team drills on Wednesday, while the Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy finalist admitted he's healthy, and that the team would make a decision on his status prior to the drop of the puck at Mellon Arena.

Through the first three games, the Red Wings haven't really missed Datsyuk all that much, as the team took the first two games in Detroit and played, perhaps, its best game of the series (if nothing else, the second period was its best period) in a Game 3 loss in Pittsburgh. After registering his second consecutive 97-point season, and finishing in the top two in the league in takeaways for the third straight season, Datsyuk's offensive production took a sudden drop in the postseason.

Prior to missing the final three games of the Western Conference finals, and the first three games of the Stanley Cup finals, Datsyuk had registered just one goal and six assists in 13 playoff games.

While Sidney Crosby has been held to just one assist thus far, Evgeni Malkin has seen a drastic improvement in his production compared to last year's performance against Detroit, as the league's leading scorer has five points, including a three assist effort in Pittsburgh's Game 3 win on Tuesday. While Crosby has been matched up against Henrik Zetterberg much of the series (Pittsburgh managed to keep the two apart on Tuesday, for the most part) the Red Wings have not been able to contain Malkin the way they did a year ago.

The Red Wings are also expected to get Kris Draper back on Thursday night, as the veteran has played in just four postseason games. We've been keeping a close eye on the face-off battle this series, and this is an area where Draper can excel, if not dominate. The Wings have done well in the circle in his absence, while the 37-year-old center put on a clinic against the Penguins a year ago, winning 72 of 107 face-offs, including a 35-for-45 performance in Games 5 and 6.

According to Mlive.com, Datsyuk was centering Valtteri Filppula and Marian Hossa at practice on Wednesday, while Draper was working with Ville Leino and Kirk Maltby on the fourth line, meaning younster Justin Abdelkader will likely be taking the night off.

If nothing else, this is an impressive testament to the depth this Red Wings team currently has. After all, they're up 2-1 without the services of their best player on a team that has gone 24-7 against the Eastern Conference in the playoffs the past two years, and a 22-year-old forward that has two goals in the first three games of the Stanley Cup final is likely to be a healthy scratch for Game 4. That's just crazy.

Regardless of who plays and who doesn't play, the stage is set for what should be an incredible hockey game.

Here are some keys to watch for in Game 4:

Both teams must continue to stay disciplined

Not that staying disciplined has been a problem in this series because anything goes (literally ... anything), but Detroit's power play has been lethal the entire postseason, while Pittsburgh's has slowly worked its way up the ranks after a sluggish start against Philadelphia and Washington. Meanwhile, Detroit's penalty kill has been simply dreadful. The Penguins were 2-for-3 on the man advantage on Tuesday, including the game-winner from Sergei Gonchar midway through the third period, helping to drop the Red Wings' penalty kill to just a 71 percent success rate. Only Calgary and Columbus were worse in the playoffs. There's still only been 11 power plays issued in the three games.

Sidney Crosby vs. Henrik Zetterberg

During the first two games in Detroit, Crosby saw Zetterberg nearly 80 percent of the time he was on the ice. In Game 3, when Pittsburgh had the luxury of the last line change, the Penguins managed to get more favorable matchups, while Crosby only had to take one five-on-five face-off against Zetterberg (compared to 23 in Games 1 and 2). Can Mike Babcock figure out a way to get Zetterberg out there against Crosby more often despite not having the last change? Can Dan Bylsma continue to avoid it?

What can Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper bring to the table?

It's still not a given at this point, but it's looking like Datsyuk will be making his Stanley Cup final debut this year, and while he's not 100 percent (he can't be, if he were, we wouldn't be asking this question) he can still play defense and puck-handle with the best of them. Will his foot injury be a problem? Will he offer the Wings some sort of emotional boost? Will he even play?

As for Draper, the Penguins have closed the gap in the face-off battle the past two games, while Draper returns to the lineup as a guy that has won over 60 percent of his draws dating back to the start of the 2007-08 season.