Cullen at morning skate

Here's a good sign for the Canes: Matt Cullen was at the morning skate.

Cullen has missed the team skates and nearly all of the Canes' practice time since being hit on the left foot by a shot in the March 20 game against the New York Islanders. After sitting out the last eight games of the regular season, the veteran center has not missed a playoff game and in Game 2 against the Bruins, Canes coach Paul Maurice said he appeared to fully have his speed and quickness back.

"He said it was the first time he really started to feel good again," Maurice said today. "Confidence for him, for any player, is so big. I'm really hopeful, because for us to continue on we're going to need him to get back to that.

"I think he's starting to feel good about himself, which is a huge bonus to us."

Cullen scored a shorthanded goal in the second period of Game 2. It gave the Canes a 2-0 lead in what would be a 3-0 win over the Bruins.

As the regular season progressed, Cullen played an increasingly prominent role for the Canes, Maurice said.

"When you look at the improvement of his game and how he really became a really important part of our lineup as we were going, there were stretches there prior to his injury when I wasn't playing Eric Staal against the other team's best line, which is something we'd always done," Maurice said. "It was Cullen's line going out because they were playing so very well — with (Ray) Whitney and (Chad) LaRose."