On Monday night, the Canes' Pat Dwyer took his kids around the neighborhood on Halloween. Even in the rain, that was a treat.

Tonight, he'll be on the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning, trying to slow down the likes of Marty St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Vinny Lecavalier. That's the, uh, trick.

"That is going from one side of the spectrum to the other," Dwyer said after today's morning skate at the RBC Center. "But I think those are the things that keep us balanced and keep it in perspective and keep us level-grounded."

The Canes are 0-2-1 after their first three games, but coach Paul Maurice said today he isn't planning any major changes.

The Canes, who face the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins on Wednesday, had a team meeting and a limited practice today at the RBC Center. Most of the players did not go on the ice.

Maurice indicated there would be no lineup changes for the Bruins, but left the door slightly ajar. Jamie McBain, Derek Joslin and Ryan Murphy were the only defensemen who skated today and appear to again be set to be healthy scratches for the Bruins, but Maurice said the coaches would "go through the video" and make a final decision tomorrow.

"When we look at our three games, there are big blocks that we really liked the things we're doing," Maurice said. "That's our challenge right now. It's not a matter of staying positive, it's staying together. We've got some things we can do better, but they were three, good, battling games and I think the battle was there."

It's clearly time for a new name. How about Camp Rosey?

For years, Rod Brind'Amour was the man in charge of the Canes' informal workouts before the team's preseason training camp began. The former captain was a taskmaster and "Camp Brind'Amour" became the name of the workouts.

Brind'Amour now is an assistant coach on Paul Maurice's staff. Gone also are such veterans as Erik Cole and Joe Corvo. Today, when the workout began at Raleigh Center Ice, it was Chad LaRose doing most of the organizing and LaRose's voice being heard the most.

"You need to be a little bit of a voice, so there's a little direction out there," LaRose said. "Day One, here we go."

Most days, Jay Harrison is a rugged, physical defenseman for the Canes. Tonight, he's simply Santa. And a pretty brave Santa, at that.

Harrison said his oldest daughter, Presley, will be getting a set of drums, which will require some Christmas Eve assembly. Considering Presley is 3, that should certainly make the Harrison house more lively than it already is.

"Absolutely, but that's the way we like it," Harrison said, smiling.

The Canes' Patrick Dwyer was doing some Christmas shopping today at the Target in North Hills, but not for his family.

Dwyer joined Brandon Sutter, Justin Peters and Erik Cole in helping those less fortunate pick out clothes, toys and other Christmas goodies. Each of the four Santa Canes was paired with a child, who was selected by PLM Families Together and Wake County Human Services.

"It's a good cause and one of those things where I like to get out in the community and help kids like this," Dwyer said. "Having kids of my own, it kind of touches the heart. So to be able to help a family is kind of near and dear to me."

One game into the Paul Maurice regime, assessments are being made. Two of them will come as no surprise to fans: Josef Melichar wasn't getting the job done and the team needs more toughness.

So exit Melichar, who was sent to Albany (AHL) along with Pat Dwyer on Friday, and enter Tim Conboy and Casey Borer, who were called up in their place.

The latest offseason Q&A on the River Rats' Web site is with forward Pat Dwyer, who was called up for one game last season but didn't play.

Three of Carolina's restricted free agents at the minor-league level agreed to new one-year contracts Monday: forwards Pat Dwyer and Joe Jensen and defenseman Mark Flood. Only Jensen played for the Hurricanes last season, appearing in six games.

Dwyer will make $55,000 in the AHL and $500,000 in the NHL; Jensen will make $50,000 in the AHL and $522,500 in the NHL; and Flood will make $60,000 in the AHL and $500,000 in the NHL.