Senators come into Carolina red-eyed to face upbeat Hurricanes

Staal celebrates vs Ottawa - Phillip McCallum/Getty Images

Word at the RBC Center on Friday morning was that the visiting Ottawa Senators did not get to their hotel in Raleigh, N.C. until 4 a.m. due to sitting on the airport runway as their plane was de-iced after a 4-3 OT win over the Florida Panthers.

Thus, no pre-game skate was on the schedule for the Senators, but the Hurricanes were there with bells on - it is Christmas after all.

After suffering a very tough 4-3 loss at home to the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday, the Canes' pre-game skate on Friday was reminiscent of the early days of training camp - energetic, boisterous, and enjoyable.

Watching the tape-to-tape passing, listening to the cheers in burying a rebound opportunity, and the constant interaction amongst coaches and players - all welcome sights and sounds to take in.

Captain Eric Staal took it upon himself following the loss to the Coyotes to claim his responsibility in not getting the job done.

After the pre-game skate on Friday, his attitude and mind was refocused and ready to face the Senators.

"We want to win games, we gotta' climb the ladder," Staal said.

Though the team didn't practice the day following their loss to Phoenix, players and coaches met with the intent to reset their focus.

"We had a good talk with the coaches, and we had a good talk with the players by themselves, so it was a good day to refresh your focus," Staal said. "There's a lot of season left - there's a lot of teams around the .500 mark or just below, so there's no reason we can't go on a few runs and get right back in the mix."

Veteran Chad LaRose echoed Staal's sentiments and pointed out how it was the vocal leaders on the team who are important to how they prepare and play.

"We've got some guys on the team who are talkers and energy guys and you know when they're quiet on the ice, it seems like the team's quiet and low energy," LaRose said. "Today we had some guys yelling and gettin' it going and having some more energy and (everyone) feeling good about going into tonight's game."

For Sens fans in the area taking in the game at the RBC Center, there's no doubt that a little extra sleep will not hurt their team as they are currently riding a three-game win streak.

Not sure if the screams from the Hurricane's pre-game skate woke anyone up at the hotel, but we'll see how bleary-eyed they may be when the puck drops at 7 p.m.

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