Simply succeeding

Bayda, Eaves and Sutter align and energize Hurricanes

RALEIGH -- Their job is more about grit than glamour.

Rarely are they seen lifting their sticks into the air, letting out a primal scream like Eric Staal when he scores a goal. Rarely are they chosen one of game's three stars, nor do they get 20 minutes of ice time in a game.

Twenty minutes? That might be three games' worth of ice.

But Patrick Eaves, Brandon Sutter and Ryan Bayda know their role for the Carolina Hurricanes and are making the most of whatever time coach Paul Maurice gives them. Whether as the Canes' fourth line or as penalty-killers, they're doing what's needed.

"We definitely have to play good defensively, first and foremost," said Sutter, a 19-year-old rookie who centers the line. "Whether that's killing penalties or five on five, we just bring energy and get on the forecheck and try and get the energy going for the guys."

Until a few games ago, Maurice had Chad LaRose on the line. LaRose's hard work earned him a move to Matt Cullen's line, taking Eaves spot, in the Dec. 21 game against the Canadiens at Montreal.

But Eaves, 24, didn't treat it as a demotion. He didn't sulk.

"There's no time for that. We're here to win hockey games," Eaves said Tuesday. "This is a team. It's not about me or getting moved around or anything.

"I think we complement each other well, and we've been chipping in the last couple of games with a couple of goals from our line, so that's huge. It's been a lot of fun. Their skill and work ethic is contagious."

In a 5-4 victory Friday over the Atlanta Thrashers, Eaves scored his first goal of the season, with Sutter getting an assist. In four games on the line, Eaves has a plus-2 rating.

"Patty has a lot of skill out there," Bayda said. "He scored 20 goals in this league a few years ago and has a lot of offensive talent."

On Saturday, Sutter's hustle in driving the puck to the net, then keeping control of it behind the net, set up defenseman Anton Babchuk at the point for a big blast and a goal in the Canes' 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.

"That line, and this is going to come out wrong, but they're not going to win any beauty contests," Maurice said. "They don't need to. They can go out and play it simple.

"Sutter takes the puck to the net, and that's the reason why we score the goal. ... That forces their players to come back further than they want to, because the puck's at the net, and then it goes back out to the point. If he plays a softer game or he doesn't do that, then we don't score that goal."

Bayda's game is anything but soft. Hardly a big guy at 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds, he is all over the ice, forechecking, hitting and fighting for the puck -- generally being a pest.

"He's not going to be on the wrong side of the puck," Maurice said. "He's a smart, smart fellow. He'll be coaching this team at some point."

When the Hurricanes traded Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore to the Ottawa Senators last season for Eaves and defenseman Joe Corvo, they envisioned Eaves being a steady point producer. A first-round draft pick by the Senators in 2003, Eaves scored 20 goals in 58 games in the 2006 season.

Shoulder surgery in March limited him to 11 games after the trade to the Canes. He came into training camp healthy in September but missed some games in November after a collision with teammate Wade Brookbank.

Maurice is hoping the move can energize Eaves as it did another player in the fall of 2003, just before Maurice was fired by the Hurricanes. Rookie Eric Staal was struggling on a top line with Ron Francis, Maurice said, but enjoyed playing with younger guys on the fourth line and began to produce.

"Bayda's a little older and Sutter's a little younger. They're all of the same ilk and generation," Maurice said. "Now, all of a sudden, playing with these guys has reinforced a positive emotion for [Eaves]. He's had some success there and is happy with his game.

"He's got to keep going."

And not just Eaves. Sutter needs to continue to win more faceoffs and Bayda to bang.

"Get some bumps, get some energy going, get the building going a little bit," Bayda said. "Do whatever we have to do as a line. Play hard, have some fun."

Sounds pretty simple.