Puck Podcast

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Starting two games in two nights didn’t seem to tire out Leland Irving.The Abbotsford Heat goaltender was in a zone Saturday night, steering away 31 of 32 shots in a 2-1 American Hockey League win over the Milwaukee Admirals

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The only ones not surprised by the Phoenix Coyotes’ fast start is the Phoenix Coyotes.Captain Shane Doan thinks they should be even better

TORONTO – The highest-scoring rookie in the NHL plays in New York, but it’s not the Islanders’ No. 1 draft pick John Tavares.New York Rangers defenceman Michael Del Zotto, who spent the past three seasons as Tavares’ teammate in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals and London Knights, scored third goal of the season on Saturday night in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Sergei Kostitsyn scored two goals and added an assist as the Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-4 in American Hockey League action Saturday

CHICAGO – Stephane Robidas was just trying to make a routine dump-in. Instead, he scored a strange goal, one the Dallas Stars needed to end the Chicago Blackhawks’ four-game winning streak

CLEVELAND – Chris Durno and Ryan Stoa each scored two goals as the Lake Erie Monsters beat the Manitoba Moose 5-2 in American Hockey League action Saturday

PITTSBURGH – The offensively dangerous Pittsburgh Penguins are also using their defence to get off to a fast start to the season.Defenceman Sergei Gonchar had a goal and an assist, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves, and the Penguins had 19 blocked shots in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night

WASHINGTON – Bruce Boudreau was amazed when he watched Alex Ovechkin score the deciding goal in a shootout. The Washington Capitals coach admired Ovechkin’s wizardry, and then a moment later, was taken aback when he saw the home crowd litter the ice with hats

DETROIT – A four-minute penalty kill got the Colorado Avalanche’s comeback started.Marek Svatos and Milan Hejduk scored shootout goals to complete the Avalanche’s rally to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night

MONTREAL – Most former Canadiens players returning to Montreal have been welcomed with a chorus of boos.Alex Kovalev got a standing ovation.Kovalev burned his former team by assisting on the go-ahead goal and scoring the insurance marker in his return to Montreal as the Ottawa Senators downed the Canadiens 3-1 on Saturday night

Joe Thornton had a power-play goal and two assists to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night.San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov made 31 saves in his 500th NHL game and Ryan Vesce’s first NHL goal broke a 1-1 tie as the Sharks (4-3-1) ended a two-game losing streak

Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice, and Johan Hedberg made 40 saves and added an assist in his first start of the season to help send the Atlanta Thrashers to their best start in franchise history with a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to spend another week as a winless hockey team.Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist Saturday as the red-hot New York Rangers handed Toronto another loss, beating the Maple Leafs 4-1

Martin Brodeur made 26 saves and moved within one shutout of tying Terry Sawchuk’s NHL career record in leading the New Jersey Devils to a 2-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night

Center Andrew Ebbett has been claimed by the Chicago Blackhawks off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.

Ebbett, who was signed by the Ducks as a college free agent in 2006, is minus-1 and hasn’t scored a point in two games this season

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Raffi Torres broke a tie with a power-play goal late in the second period and Rick Nash added a short-handed goal on Saturday night to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to their third win in a row, a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings

TORONTO – David Brine scored the winning goal less than two minutes into overtime as the Rochester Americans earned a 4-3 comeback victory over the Toronto Marlies on Saturday

MONTREAL – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is attending the unveiling of a set of commemorative stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks recalled centre Alexandre Bolduc from AHL Manitoba on Saturday.Bolduc, 24, did not record a point in four games with the Moose this season

CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks claimed Andrew Ebbett of Vernon, B.C., off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.The 26-year-old centre was held scoreless in two regular season games with Anaheim