Forward Jussi Jokinen (lower-body injury) and defenseman Joni Pitkanen (upper-body) will not play Monday against the Florida Panthers, Canes coach Paul Maurice said today.
Maurice said Jokinen and Pitkanen, who have missed the last two games, may accompany the Canes on the two-game road trip his week to New York and Florida and possibly could play. They're being listed as day-to-day.
"They're both getting better," Maurice said. "If it was in the playoffs we'd probably have them in the lineup right now. But so that we don't set anything back we're going to do everything we can to heal them to 100 percent."
Forward Jiri Tlusty (upper-body) continues to skate with a yellow, no-contact jersey. Maurice said the injury is not healing quickly and that Tlusty was "at least a week" away being able to return.
Even when Tlusty is healthy, the play of Zach Boychuk could make for an interesting roster decision. Boychuk, recalled Dec. 17 from Charlotte (AHL), had the two-goal game against Ottawa but has impressed with his all-around play.
"I've liked Boychuk's intensity," Maurice said. "I know he's got hands and if he gets power-play time and enough offensive time eventually he will score. The question is how many shifts can he get.
"He's taking some hits, he's giving some hits. He's not playing a small man's game which is the key to those guys being real good players -- their size not being a factor. A Chad LaRose-type game,
"I don't expect (Boychuk) to be banging everything that moves but he's got to compete like a grinder. And then his hands mean he's got something special."
The Canes called up forward Zac Dalpe and defenseman Brett Carson from the Checkers on Friday, and Dalpe scored his first NHL goal in the 6-3 win Saturday over New Jersey. Maurice said he liked the look of the fourth line with Dalpe and Troy Bodie on the wings and Ryan Carter at center.
"They were positionally very sound. I did feel comfortable with them," he said.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Boychuk, Dalpe & the fourth line
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 09:48 — myopiniondoesntcountBoychuk and Dalpe have both shown they belong in the NHL. Do they belong at the moment? I don't know, with the numbers game that is playing out right now, I don't want them playing the limited minutes that the fourth line seems to get. Now, with that said, if one of these players can become an integral part of that fourth line and Coach Maurice can see his way to give them 10 to 12 minutes of ice time, which will increase their effectivness, then do it. But if they only get 4 or 5 minutes, then please send them back down and give them the playing time in Charlotte. The aquiring of Bodie and Carter has made the fourth line a serious threat. They play hard, physical and scare the opposing goalies on every shift and I think adding Dalpe or Boychuk to the line makes it dangerous.
Boychuk and Physicality
Sun, 01/02/2011 - 16:44 — abramsdougI think the Hurricanes and Ckeckers coaches did an excellent job in helping Boychuk's maturation as a player. In particular, Boychuk's physical game improved dramatically while in Charlotte. I thought Boychuk was ready for more minutes than he received initially; but everything I read says with young NHL players it's important not to rush them. In any event, Boychuk's development is significant for the Hurricanes' short term and long term success. The Hurricanes need to shift the scoring burden to all four lines. Dalpe is also a very special player; and I'm hoping that he will develop as a forward who can play all three positions. Chip Alexander has mentioned that the plan is to keep Boychuk at Carolina as long as his game stays intense; and I'm hoping that is the case.
Dalpe and Boychuk play great together; and they could move up and down from the first to to the third lines as a duo of wings. I can't see many teams being able to contain Boychuk/Staal/Dalpe or Boychuk/Sutter/Dalpe or Boychuk/Skinner/Dalpe. All three combinations have natural scoring acumen as well as high end speed. All those combinations are comprised of players who are at their best when the game is on the line.
The fourth line of Dalpe/Carter/Bodie can surprise a lot of teams. Bodie's game against Toronto showed me that he has the ability to help the Hurricanes add physicality at least on the third line when needed. Boychuk/Dalpe/Osala were a dominant line last season and this season in the AHL. I think a Boychuk/Sutter/Bodie line against some teams would be a dynamic line for some shifts.