With Tuomo Ruutu and Ray Whitney suffering upper-body injuries during Wednesday’s game at Florida, the Hurricanes will today recall forward Zach Boychuk from Albany of the AHL to help fill the void.

Paul Branecky

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According to General Manager Jim Rutherford, Boychuk, along with fellow former first-round pick Brandon Sutter, will get a chance to play among the team’s top-nine forwards starting Friday night against Toronto. Sutter is responsible for the only two goals the Hurricanes have scored over their last three games, while Boychuk has posted four goals and five assists in Albany’s first 12 contests, which is tied for second place on the team.

”(Boychuk) has played well there,” said Rutherford. “There are a few guys that have played well and deserve the opportunity, but this is a good time for him to get some experience here. He’s a guy that has a chance to score, and for the most part he’s played pretty well down there.”

Rutherford said that the severity of the injuries to Ruutu and Whitney is not yet clear, and the players will undergo tests later today to determine how much time they will miss, if any. For now, both players are considered day-to-day.

Even with Eric Staal, Ruutu and Whitney and possibly all sidelined – a trio the Canes have used as their first line in the past – and despite Wednesday's 3-0 loss that extended the team’s winless streak to 10 games, Rutherford still expressed some optimism over the direction his team is headed.

“I’m disappointed in the loss but I felt good about how we played,” he said. “But when things are going bad, they go bad. We couldn’t buy a break around the net, and they get breaks on both of their deflected goals. At some point in time, we’re going to get some deflected goals and end up on top.