"He'll play" - 6-5-09

Detroit coach Mike Babcock said injured forward Pavel Datsyuk (above) will suit up for Game 5. Datsyuk has not played since hurting his foot in Game 2 of the Western Conference final versus the Blackhawks.

Babcock offered a seemingly ironclad "He'll play" when discussing Datsyuk's status then added a wishy washy, "We're hoping he'll play and planning on it."

EN Says: We'll believe it when we see a white No. 13 on the ice of Joe Louis Arena after 8:20 p.m. And if he is, how effective will be in helping stop Evgeni Malkin?

(Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)