This is it

The puck for Game 5 drops at 8pm ET tonight.  The series is tied 2-2, and 14 of the last 19 teams who won the 2-2 tie-breaker have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.

Read most of the Pittsburgh or national (re: Canadian) media, and you'll see that they've brushed off the Red Wings at this point, claiming that they are too fatigued to keep up with the younger Penguins club.  A few are thinking a little more logically and warn the Penguins against feeling too relaxed going into the game, because Detroit is going to come out firing on all cylinders.

Pavel Datsyuk is set to make his 2009 Finals debut.  The value of his return is enormous, but Chris Osgood stated it perfectly after Game 4, saying: "I don't think we really keep our minds on it, thinking Pav's going to come back like a knight in shining armor and save us.  We have to do it ourselves."  (emphasis mine)

And they'll do it.  They'll pull themselves up, dig down deep, and find that missing gear.  They'll stop throwing the puck away to Crosby and they'll start defending Malkin instead of letting him blow past on a breakaway.  They'll start the game on time and play until it's over without those short, but devastating lapses.  If the Penguins decide to play physical again, Helm, Kronwall, Stuart and even Pavel will be there to respond.

They'll do it because they know they have to.  Above the entrance to the Red Wings dressing room is the phrase, "To whom much is given, much is expected."  These players have been given the sun and the stars, being able to play on a team who has been to the post-season 17 straight years with first-ballot Hall of Famers.  Everyone from fans, the media, and other players in the league expect them to win.

They'll do it because they're led by Nick Lidstrom, the best defenseman of his generation.  A guy who's seen it all, pre- and post-lockout, he's felt the euphoria of 4 wins and also the heartbreak of the loss.

They'll do it because they're too proud to go down like this.  Because they're not ready to give up their title as the best in the league to a bunch of punk kids.  Because they know that even though they won last year there are still naysayers saying they had the easy route by not playing Anaheim, San Jose.  Because Ozzie still doesn't get the respect he deserves.  Because everyone said they'd fall apart in a salary cap world.  Because players are willing to take millions of dollars less to play for this team.  Because this team and its culture was built in part by a guy who put offense on the backburner halfway through his career and said, "I'll do whatever I have to do to win."