To answer a question posed earlier, tempo at today’s practice was high.

Paul Branecky

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It wasn’t a puckless marathon session or anything like that, but there was plenty of skating, frustrations were evident at times, push ups were done, etc.

That all made for an exceptionally quiet locker room afterwards as the team searches for answers to the flat performances spanning the last two games, both home losses to division opponents.

The main frustration seems to be that the team didn’t rebound from the 5-2 loss to Atlanta the way they had hoped.

“The work ethic in the Atlanta game was not good,” said coach Peter Laviolette.  “The second half of [last night’s] game was not better.”

After the Canes got off to a good start to the year and came back from their season-long road trip with an impressive 5-2-2 record, they’ve gone 3-4 since.  That’s created a sense of urgency that perhaps hasn’t been evident in the first half of November.

”Anytime you lose a couple of games, the next game becomes important,” said Laviolette.  “You certainly see ground that you had gained slipping away, so all of the sudden the stakes go up a little bit.”

Perhaps getting back on the road will do the Hurricanes some good.  They’re 5-2-2 in opposing buildings so far and won all four of their games in Atlanta last season.

However, the Thrashers, winners of their last four, might not make it easy.

“We’ll need to execute a lot better than we did,” said Laviolette.

Ray Whitney didn't take part in today's practice, which Laviolette said was mostly for precautionary reasons.

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