Puck Podcast

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ray Whitney has found himself a leader of a very young Carolina Hurricanes team as the regular season winds down.On Thursday night, he showed the youngsters how to get it done against the best team in the NHL

DALLAS – The Philadelphia Flyers will be without starting goalie Michael Leighton for at least eight weeks because of a high ankle sprain.Leighton was injured Tuesday night in a 4-3 shootout loss at Nashville

BOSTON – The revenge-minded Boston Bruins got in some early shots. The Pittsburgh Penguins connected on the ones that counted.Marc-Andre Fleury made 17 saves for Pittsburgh’s first shutout of the season and the Penguins won 3-0 as the Bruins got little spark from their retaliation against Matt Cooke less than two minutes into the game Thursday night

BOSTON – The Bruins wasted little time retaliating against the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Cooke for his blindside hit that left Boston centre Marc Savard with a Grade 2 concussion

CALGARY – Fresh off their first win of the season against the Colorado Avalanche, the Calgary Flames have renewed confidence heading down the stretch drive

TORONTO – The NHL came down hard on James Wisniewski, handing the Anaheim Ducks defenceman an eight-game suspension Thursday for his hit on Chicago’s Brent Seabrook

NEW YORK – A regional television network will broadcast next week’s New York Islanders-New York Rangers game in 3-D, joining a worldwide trend that affects few viewers now but could eventually change the way people watch sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. – For the second straight game, the Chicago Blackhawks lost a key member of their defence because of a vicious check against the boards behind the net

DENVER – The NHL playoffs don’t start until mid-April, but the desperate Calgary Flames decided to move up their post-season a month.It paid dividends against the Colorado Avalanche

Movements in the world of hockey Wednesday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM DUCKS-Signed D Jake Newton to a three-year contract. Re-Assigned LW Kyle Calder to Toronto (AHL)

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Hamilton scored three times in the final ten minutes of regulation and Ryan White got the winner in the seventh round of the shootout as the Bulldogs came back to beat the Adirondack Phantoms 6-5 in American Hockey League play Tuesday

NEWARK, N.J. – If the New Jersey Devils get past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs, they will have beaten the defending Stanley Cup champions 10 times

NEWARK, N.J. – Evgeni Malkin is out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup because of a right foot injury, but New Jersey Devils defenceman Paul Martin is back after missing 59 games

TORONTO – A new rule on blindsided hits to the head still has a number of hurdles to overcome if it’s going to start being called before the end of the regular season

TORONTO – The stage is set for retired Toronto Maple Leafs star Mats Sundin to join “Battle of the Blades.” Now it’s just a matter of convincing the longtime NHLer to take part

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Michael Grabner’s first stint with the Vancouver Canucks lasted just nine games after he broke his ankle during a warmup kickaround with a soccer ball

It’s certainly not on the same scale as the massive Mattel toy recall three years ago, but Bauer Hockey has been put in an embarrassing and potentially expensive predicament for the same reason

TORONTO – Flashbulbs popped and children cheered as retired NHL star Ron Ellis cradled it in his hands, which were sheathed in white gloves to prevent fingerprints from being left on what is likely the most adored six-ounce piece of rubber that has ever been welcomed into the Hockey Hall of Fame

VANCOUVER, B.C. – John Tavares broke out of his prolonged scoring slump in a big way Tuesday night.The Islanders rookie scored two goals and added three assists as New York downed the Vancouver Canucks 5-2

NASHVILLE – Although it took longer than the Predators would have liked, the result was worth the wait.Martin Erat scored the only goal of the shootout to lead the Nashville to a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night