Laviolette's gift to Canes: a bit more rest

Coach gives team an extra day to mend as NHL enters its Christmas break

RALEIGH -- The NHL already requires teams to take off Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.

The Carolina Hurricanes' off day on Sunday was an unexpected -- but much needed -- present from coach Peter Laviolette.

The Hurricanes are off the ice until 9 a.m. Wednesday, when they have a quick morning skate before catching a flight to their 7 p.m. game against the New York Rangers.

"It's nice," forward Matt Cullen said this past week. "It's kind of a unique situation, you know, having a game immediately after Christmas, but it's always nice to get a couple of days to completely let the body heal and rest."

Although the break isn't all that long, the players say it's long enough to make a difference. This is the Hurricanes' longest stretch of off days this season.

They also have another break built into the schedule around the NHL All-Star Game.

"Surprisingly, even two days is pretty refreshing," forward Trevor Letowski said. "It's a little mental break. You come back refreshed, and of course, it's Christmastime, so you've got your mind on other things, just for a couple days."

Letowski, who is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, said he won't see his family during the holiday because of the shortness of the break, but he expects to spend Christmas with some of his teammates.

The Hurricanes head into the break in a much better mood than they were in two weeks ago after opening the month by losing five of their first seven games.

The Canes have won three of their past four games, including a 4-1 road win Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team they've struggled against all season.

Carolina won Saturday despite being down to just 19 skaters, which led to higher-than-normal ice times for Carolina's top two lines. The Canes hope the time off will give Mike Commodore (foot), David Tanabe (concussion) and Chad LaRose (concussion) time to heal.

On Wednesday, they get back Craig Adams, who served a two-game suspension for high-sticking in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But the biggest advantage of the break -- the team isn't even permitted to travel during the two days -- is mental.

"You need that," Laviolette said. "One day off, your body gets a break. Two days off, it feels like you can really come back fresh. You get away from it. Not only the physical part, but the mental part.

"It takes a lot to put yourself in the state of mind and the mental state you need to be in to be successful on the ice."