Williams, Whitney set for return

Justin Williams was cleared for full contact practice on Monday. He made it through the full practice with no complications. After missing 43 games with torn ligaments (both the MCL and the ACL) in his left knee, "Viva" is listed as "probable" for tomorrow's huge game against the Capitals. Read Luke Decock's N&O story here.

Ray Whitney, who has missed the last 12 games with a bad ankle, is also slated for a return to the lineup on Tuesday. He left practice early on Monday, but is still hopeful for play against Washington. Coach Laviolette has said that he won't mess with the chemistry of the top three lines. What this means is that Carolina could possibly have a fourth line of Ray Whitney/Jeff Hamilton/Justin Williams. That's a pretty damn good fourth line if you ask me.

If these two are a go for tomorrow, I expect that Joe Jensen and probably Tim Conboy will be sent back down to Albany.

I'm pretty excited to see Viva ready to play. He'll see limited ice time, but he'll be chomping at the bit to make a difference.