SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida Panthers coach Peter DeBoer says he's wary of the Hurricanes and worried about tonight's game.
Coachspeak? Do a degree, yes. The Canes have lost their last nine games and will be playing tonight without center Eric Staal for the first time since March 2004.
"There's no doubt we'll see their best game," DeBoer said today. "We've been in the same spot Carolina is now.
"I've said I'd rather catch a team on a winning streak than what Carolina is going through now. You know it's a matter of time, that it will come. You just hope it's not tonight."
The Panthers were 2-7-1 and in a downward spiral -- including the early 7-2 loss at the RBC Center — before ending their slide by winning road games at Dallas and St. Louis. Florida has not played since a 4-0 win over the Blues on Saturday.
"This league is an emotional rollercoaster," DeBoer said. "Six or seven days ago we were where Carolina is and the question was would we ever win another game. Then you win a game and things go right and you feel you can't lose.
"This is the first time we've felt good about ourselves in a while. I said at 2-7 that I didn't feel we were a 2-7 team and didn't feel we were playing like a 2-7 team. You've just got to stick with it and good things will happen."
Panthers defenseman Dennis Seidenberg stays is touch with several of his former teammates and said he's just as mystified as they seem to be over all that has gone wrong for the Canes.
As for the Panthers' turnaround, he said, "We started getting a lead, then building on it. We've also cut down on all the mistakes."
Sounds like a winning formula.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
