RALEIGH - The Carolina Hurricanes will be without Matt Cullen when they host the Ottawa Senators tonight after Cullen apparently suffered a recurrence of symptoms from the concussion he suffered Dec. 26.

Cullen was upended by Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland and landed on his head with 11 minutes to play in Carolina's 3-0 victory on Wednesday. He went straight to the locker room but returned to the bench with five minutes left. He never went back on the ice.

After the game, Cullen said he landed on his shoulder but was fine. He was in the lineup for Friday's 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, playing 11 1/2 minutes through two periods.

With the Sabres leading 6-0 at the second intermission, Cullen did not return for the third period, which Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette called "precautionary."

But when Cullen didn't practice Saturday, Laviolette admitted Cullen was "not feeling well" -- a sort of short-hand for his post-concussion symptoms. (Cullen missed nine games because of "illness" from Dec. 28-Jan. 15 and seven more because of distorted vision from Jan. 31-Feb. 14.)

"We'll have to look at this as day-to-day," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Saturday. "The hit in Chicago certainly set him back, and he probably pushed it a little to play in Buffalo.

"So now we just have to go at it day-by-day to see where he's at. We're certainly not going to push him at this point."

With Wade Brookbank (leg) also day-to-day and Ray Whitney undergoing surgery to remove a bursa from his left ankle, the Hurricanes recalled forwards Joe Jensen and Pat Dwyer from Albany (AHL).

Jensen made his NHL debut on Feb. 9, becoming severely ill with food poisoning in midgame, and Dwyer has yet to play in the NHL.

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