Quick Hits...

Welcome to quick hits. Here  the "eye"  will preview each game with short, hopefully substantive bullet points you can chew on. Enjoy it ,along with exhibition tune up number one. You'll  have this each game day.

Matt Cullen...Number eight will play Wednesday night and center a line of Sergei Samsonov on the left and rookie Drayson Bowman on the right. Cullen, has looked great in camp. His explosive first step has seemed to improve over the course of the off season. He also seems a bit stronger  in his upper and lower body.. The last step in his comeback will be the physical test of game conditions.

Drayson Bowman...Peter Laviolette will give the rookie a chance to flourish with two vets like Cullen and Samsonov. Bowman , has looked good in workouts but could have shown a bit more in the split squad game. Wednesday's audition will give him a chance to show off his wears in all situations with NHL level support.

O'Neill in the middle...92 will play center on Wednesday. It's a position he has been playing in camp so far. His wingers Bayda and Walker will grind the cycle for him, we know he has the knack of finding the scoring zones. O'Neill could get a chance to play the right side over the weekend. His ability to flex between two positions could bode well.

C'mon rook...Brandon Sutter faces a big test. He too like Bowman has been good but under NHL game conditions will be able to show off his defensive abilities along with the possibility of killing  few penalties. It's a step up that he has to prove he's ready for.

Helminen, Murley and Petruzalak...A fourth line Albany coach Jeff Daniels will keep his eye on. They should form part of his offensive nucleus. Helminen, was outstanding on Sunday catching the eye of the coach.

A leader will emerge...Tim Gleason has looked great in the workouts. He shaved a little weight in the off season and really improved his overall fitness. His lateral quickness seems to be even better. He'll be 1 D this season, no doubt.

Between the pipes plan...Cam Ward will start. He will play half the game, spelled later by Justin Peters.

Big boys rest...Eric Staal and Ray Whitney are both very unlikely to play until the weekend. The Canes will begin to assign players out on Wednesday. The group will get smaller so that situations like special teams can be implemented.

Injuries...Anton Babchuk (knee sprain) had a good day today. There's a very good chance he will be on skates tomorrow. Tuomo Ruutu (groin) was injured today. It is said to be not serious, but stay tuned.

Happy 59th birthday to the Boss, Springsteen that is !