RALEIGH, N.C. — In a corridor of PNC Arena just past a handmade poster with dozens of photographs of Eric Staal through his 12 seasons here, with a playoff-like level of media circling, one coach expected a vintage performance from the former Hurricanes captain; the other believed that he would be relieved once the emotional journey home was over.
“He’s going to be fired up to play,” said Bill Peters, now in his second season behind the Carolina bench. “He’s going to be real good tonight. The team’s going to be good and we’ve got to match that.