When the Charlotte Checkers open the AHL Eastern Conference finals Thursday at home, it represents the deepest a Carolina Hurricanes farm team has gone in the playoffs since 1997, when the Springfield Falcons made it to this point in the AHL playoffs.

The Falcons -- coached by Kevin McCarthy -- lost to the Hershey Bears, who went on to win the Calder Cup. Three times since, the Hurricanes’ minor-league affiliate has won one playoff round, but this year’s Checkers are the first to win two.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Drayson Bowman was assigned to the Charlotte Checkers today for the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Checkers  open their East Division semifinal series on the road Thursday against the Hershey (Pa.) Bears.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The puck, Drayson Bowman said, is in a glass case and prominently displayed in his bedroom at his parents' house outside Denver.

Late last season, Bowman was recalled from the AHL and was with the Canes for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum. Before the night was over, the winger had scored his first two NHL goals as the Canes won a wild 8-5 game.

"And I'm hoping for the same result tomorrow against them," Bowman said today, smiling.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It has been an up-and-down season for Drayson Bowman. But he's up now, with the Canes, and wants to stay up.

Bowman was recalled Thursday from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) and in the Canes' lineup Friday against the Washington Capitals. Used on the fourth line in the last two games, the winger has averaged about six minutes in ice time but isn't complaining.

"I came up playing pretty well and obviously want to keep the same mindset: to play as well as I can and do whatever it takes to stay here," he said today before the game against the Buffalo Sabres. "This is what you dream of, to be in these kind of games. It doesn't matter if it's five minutes or 10 minutes or whatever. It's fun to be a part of."

With Sergei Samsonov healthy and Jiri Tlusty back from Charlotte after a conditioning stint, the Canes now have a surplus of forwards.

Coach Paul Maurice said today that Patrick O'Sullivan and Tlusty would be healthy scratches for tonight's home opener against the Washington Capitals. Maurice will keep the fourth line together with Pat Dwyer at center and Drayson Bowman and Zac Dalpe on the wings.

"Same lineup from the Phoenix game," Maurice said after today's morning skate at the RBC Center.  "Big chunks of that game we liked how we played.

"Whoever Paddy (Dwyer) plays with seems to play well. It's almost a Chad LaRose factor. "

The roster shuffling continued today for the Canes, who reassigned Tim Conboy to Albany (AHL) while calling up forward Jerome Samson.

Drayson Bowman, who scored his first two NHL goals Tuesday against Tampa Bay, was a healthy scratch Thursday for the Montreal game. Bowman will be back in the lineup Saturday against the Boston Bruins.

Canes coach Paul Maurice said concerns about the health of his defensemen led to the callups Thursday of Conboy and Casey Borer from the River Rats. With more than 20 players available, Maurice said, Bowman automatically came out of the lineup.

Drayson Bowman's first opportunity with the Canes this season wasn't so much a callup as a cameo.

Recalled from Albany (AHL) for the Jan. 16 game against the Atlanta Thrashers, the forward had 10:23 in ice time in his NHL debut. After the 5-3 loss at the RBC Center, he was promptly reassigned to the River Rats.

But his second recall has been more lasting. He has played the last five games, with a high of 12:25 in ice time against the Thrashers on March 27.

"I'm just having fun," Bowman said after today's morning skate. "They called me up here, I feel like I'm playing pretty well and I feel like I'm getting better every game."

The Canes have recalled forward Drayson Bowman from Albany (AHL) to replace Tuomo Ruutu, who will have shoulder surgery Thursday.

It's the second recall for Bowman, 20, who made his NHL debut Jan. 16 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Bowman ranks third among Albany skaters this year with 17 goals and has 32 points in 56 games.

Forwards Sergei Samsonov and Chad LaRose will return to the lineup for the Carolina Hurricanes' game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the RBC Center tonight at 7 p.m.

Samsonov and LaRose have been skating with the team for several days now and traveled with the team on last week's two-game road trip to Toronto and Detroit.

When the Canes' Jiri Tlusty hit the post with a shot Saturday against the Atlanta Thrashers, he said he detected something of a smile from Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

No surprise, though. Tlusty and Pavelec both are native Czechs, and Tlusty said they had
been close friends since they were six years old. Tlusty said they had dinner Friday night, noting he paid the check.

And then did Pavelec another favor by hitting the post. The Canes trailed 3-1 late in the second period when Tlusty came ever-so-close to scoring with 2:43 left in the period.

"I was kind of mad," Tlusty said. "He gave me a few looks when he was over near our bench. He was kissing his goal post.