Injury Report: Hall Hopeful To Return To Action On Tuesday

RALEIGH, N.C. - As the Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice at Lenovo Center for the first time in nearly two weeks on Monday, so too did forward Taylor Hall, returning to team practice after sustaining an upper-body injury on Oct. 13.

Hall worked on a line with Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis during the skate, a placement that could indicate he'll be prepared to suit up against Boston. Speaking to reporters afterward, Hall was bullish on his odds to take on his former team.

"I think I'll be in tomorrow, barring anything unexpected," he said. "But yeah, I feel good. Would have loved to have been on the trip, but a little break for me."

Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour struck a more measured tone when asked about Hall's status, but was pleased to be adding to his lineup after seeing several pieces sidelined over the last two weeks.

"He's been out for a while, so (I'm not sure) if he's good for tomorrow or not. But obviously, a good sign that he was out there," said the Canes' coach.

While it was tough to miss out on the Canes' cross-continent jaunt, the break actually presented a unique opportunity for the 34-year-old Hall. Hurricanes players rarely get to experience the State Fair, as it traditionally forces the team into an extended road trip, but taking his kids to the annual event provided some of the highlights of his time away from the rink.

"Family time," he said, when asked how he spent the last fortnight. "Just kind of enjoying the weather here. It was fantastic weather in Raleigh, and I went to the State Fair a couple times with my kids."

Following a five-game absence, some rust is to be expected whenever Hall does return to the lineup. Practicing with the group helps, but it's impossible to replace the experience gained through live reps.

"It's just the rust, and [executing] at game speed," said Brind'Amour of the hardest part of returning from injury. "You know, you practice there in good condition, but to go out there and play a real game at NHL pace is hard to replicate in practice."

Echoing his coach's thoughts, Hall pointed to a couple of specific scenarios he understands he'll have to get used to handling once more.

"I mean, just being under pressure. Like when you get a bobbling puck on the wall and you have to make a play, or you have to make a quick read," he said. "Those are things that you tend to lose as you miss games. You can't really replicate some of those game reps and just being under the gun in a game, but I hope that I can just pick it up pretty quickly and go from there."

Jankowski Skates Solo As Canes' Depth Shines...

In more positive news, Mark Jankowski was on the ice with Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels before Monday's group skate. It's a step forward for No. 77, though Brind'Amour notes he's still not quite ready to rejoin the lineup.

"He skated this morning, and I would expect him to skate with our group tomorrow, but he's still not available," said Brind'Amour.

That could mean more minutes for Skyler Brind'Amour, the latest in a crew of call-ups that have helped bridge the gap as the Canes battle the injury bug. Felix Unger Sörum and Bradly Nadeau have each logged games in the forward corps as well, while Juuso Välimäki has appeared in the team's last three contests, picking up points in two of those.

"They've played great, all these guys," praised Rod Brind'Amour. "It's another year where everyone we brought up has just seemed to seamlessly fit in and do their jobs and help us to kind of weather the storm, so to speak, with all the injuries we have. It says a lot about the depth of our organization and the coaching down there, like the guys come up here and understand how we need to play. So that's a real positive."

And after serving as healthy extras at different times in the early portion of the season, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nic Deslauriers have also been slotting into different roles, providing necessary veteran stability while chipping in five goals between the two of them.

"Well, he's been tapping in a couple, which is nice," said Brind'Amour of Kotkaniemi. "But I think it's his style of play in the last couple of games, where you know, (he's) just understanding what he needs to do to be effective. (Playing) a little more direct; he's a big guy and (is) being a little more physical. We put him with the bigger players, and I think that's a good role for him."

Deslauriers, meanwhile, might be more known for his fighting prowess, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's not a capable player.

"It gets overlooked a little bit, his hockey IQ," praised his head coach. "If you just watch his overall game, his puck touches are very, very, very solid, right? He knows how to play too, so he just sometimes when you have one thing you do really well, that gets that overshadows the other stuff. But he's been, like I say, a real bright spot for our group."

Puck drop for Tuesday's clash with Boston is set for 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.