Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

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By Adam Harris
May 21, 2009

Tags: Hockey, Carolina Hurricanes

PITTSBURGH, Pa. _ It appears Erik Cole is healthy enough to play in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Carolina Hurricanes forward participated in Thursday morning's practice at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.

Not on the ice, however, was Tuomo Ruutu.  Both Cole and Ruutu suffered lower body injuries in Game 1 on Monday night.  Neither player practiced on Wednesday.

After Thursday's morning skate, Canes head coach Paul Maurice was asked how Cole fared in practice.

"Erik looked like he does in most of our morning skates," Maurice answered.  "And, we'll see how he feels when he comes to the rink tonight."

According to Maurice, Cole will be a game-time decision for Game 2.  When asked about the status of Ruutu, the Canes' coach had a coy reply.

"The same.  He wasn't quite as noticeable in the morning skate," Maurice joked.

Hurricanes' general manager Jim Rutherford has told NHL.com that Ruutu would not play.  It now seems the Canes only need to replace one forward in their Game 2 line up, instead of two.

Most Recent Comments

By bafans11
Posted May 21, 5:20 p.m.

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RE: Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

GO CANES!

Enough said.

By Hokie 94
Posted May 21, 4:27 p.m.

Rank: Sports Legend
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Location: Southern Pines, NC

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RE: Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

Well, at least one is available. Surely someone can step up and play. Need to win this one--for sure. Go Canes. Make us proud again.

By edits
Posted May 21, 4:18 p.m.

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RE: Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

I am glad to see that Cole is going to play, a hat trick would be nice but a head trick on Orpik would be better.

Did you know that Mellon was not even sold out for Game 1 of this series? They sell out all season long then come playoff time they can't, what kind of fans do they have up there anyway?

GO CANES!

By DeathRow-IFeelYourPain-NOT
Posted May 21, 2:42 p.m.

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RE: Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

No worries. I've almost got the cork out of the bottle already. Its a given the Canes will ROLL tonight! And God help the mini-tuxedo wearing critter standin' in the way.

By hpr641
Posted May 21, 2:40 p.m.

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RE: Cole practices Thursday, Ruutu does not

Man, I like this guy - came back from a broken neck (when many knowledgable people initially feared paralysis) to play in the SC Finals just 3 months later. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if he doesn't have a serious knee injury and still makes major contributions tonight and the remaining post-season. I'm not saying hat-trick for EC tonight, I'll say 2 more primary A's, plus drawing a penalty that leads to a PP goal.