Staal: 'I've never felt better'

TAMPA, Fla. — Eric Staal barely waited for the question to end.

"I've never felt better," the Canes captain said after today's morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum.

That's obviously good news for the Canes. The last thing they need at this point of the season is Staal, their leading scorer and their leader, missing a few games with a lower-body injury.

"But a positive mindset goes a long way," Staal said, smiling.

Staal left in the third period of Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators at the RBC Center and did not return as the Canes won 4-3. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and coach Paul Maurice indicated Staal's minutes might be reduced in tonight's game against the Lightning and that Staal may not be used on the penalty kill.

Staal, though, wasn't quite ready to go with that game plan, saying he would "wait and see how it goes." It's just that this back-to-back set with the Bolts, he said, is "huge" and the Canes need the points.

"We think we've got some momentum here with a couple of wins and it's a great test against a team in our division," he said. "They're a tough, hard-checking team and we need to make sure we're on the attack and stay aggressive."

Staal said he wanted back into Tuesday's game but conceded the Canes made the prudent decision to hold him out.

"It was a huge game and you want to be a part of it," he said. "It was just one of those situations where they didn't want it to get worse. Something could have happened in the last 10 minutes of the game. But the guys did a great job to finish off the game and it was a big win."

Maurice said after the skate that Staal "was moving good and looked good." He said the lineup would not change from Tuesday's game, nor would the lines. Jerome Samson will remain on the fourth line, making Troy Bodie again a healthy scratch at forward.

Defenseman Jamie McBain, Maurice said, would not play tonight but likely will return Saturday in the second half of the back-to-back. He said a decision on which defenseman would be held out Saturday, should McBain go back in the lineup, had not been made.

McBain has been sidelined the past five games with a shoulder injury but said today he feels good and is ready to get back in the mix.