DETROIT — As workers took down the barriers, bleachers and other remnants of Sunday’s wildly popular Red Bull Air Races along the Detroit River waterfront, the city was planning another party for Monday night.
But the Red Wings, who could set off a Stanley Cup championship celebration with a series-clinching Game 5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Joe Louis Arena, were trying not to get caught up in the presumptuousness.
“What we have to rely on is the people in the room,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said after Detroit’s morning skate. “The people outside the room can’t hurt you, but I don’t know how much they help you.
“The guys have to play. You have to go out with a clear mind, having a clear mind and understanding the job like you’ve done over and over again. … Both of us are playing one game. We have a belief system that we’re going to find a way to win and I assume they do, too.”
Babcock confirmed that Tomas Holmstrom, who missed Game 4 in Pittsburgh with a hamstring injury, would be back in the lineup against the Penguins tonight.
“I don’t know that if Homer’s leg was broke, (if) he wouldn’t be playing, anyway,” Babcock said. “That’s just the way it is, and he’ll find a way to be a real good contributor for us tonight. He’s a good player and helps our power play.”
Babcock said, though, his lineup would remain the same on the blueline, meaning veteran defenseman Chris Chelios, who hasn’t played in the Finals, again would be a healthy scratch. He said he hadn’t agonized over that decision, implying he couldn’t afford to make sentimental lineup choices at this point.
“We’re going to do just whatever we can to win,” Babcock said. “As much as your perception seems to be in this room that Cheli’s not included, that’s not the case at all. He’s part of our team.”
After the Penguins’ skate, captain Sidney Crosby was asked if he was going to try to find another gear tonight as the Penguins try to crawl out of the hole.
“I’m going to try,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to say that before a game. But I’m definitely going to empty the tank. I’m not going to save anything. I think that’s going to be the case with all the guys. But we all need to step up and whoever it is, it doesn’t matter. I mean, we have to find a way to raise our game and come out of here with a win.”
