The NHL kicked back into high gear on Thursday night with 10 hotly contested battles among two-thirds of the league's 30 clubs. Former Islanders are also kicking their efforts into high gear with impressive play on the over 2 dozen teams they represent.Let us take a peek at the FI contributions from a busy Thursday night:
* Boston captain Zdeno Chara assisted on the game winner and then added the powerplay insurance goal as the Bruins blanked the visiting Washington Capitals 2-0. The second star of the game, Chara has 25 points (6 goals, 19 assists) on 40 games this season including 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) with the man advantage. Chara is riding a mini-hot streak with 4 points on 1 goal and 3 assists over the last 2 games.
* It was just not possible for the Islanders to keep Olli Jokinen from finding his way onto the scoresheet. The Panthers captain assisted on the game winning goal 1:33 into OT as Florida beat the host Isles 4-3. Officially halfway through the season, Jokinen currently holds a point per game pace with 41 (20 goals, 21 assists) on 41 games.
* Jason Blake finally had a multi-goal night for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it only took half the season. Blake had 2 goals, including a powerplay tally, as the Maple Leafs fell 6-2 to the host Pittsburgh Penguins. He now has 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points on 41 games. On a torrid mini-streak, Blakey has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in just the last 2 games. It was Blake's first multi-goal night since March 10, 2007, a span of 59 games without at least 2 goals. Blake had 5 multi-goal nights during the 2006-07 season in which he scored 40 goals.
* Mark Parrish capped the scoring as the Minnesota Wild doubled up on the visiting Dallas Stars for a 6-3 win. Parrish now has 17 points (10 goals, 7 assists) on 37 games. He is riding a 4 game point streak in which he has notched 3 goals and an assist. Parrish has surpassed double digits for goals in each of his 9 professional seasons.
* Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo posted his 6th shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the visiting New York Rangers 3-0. Luongo stopped all 28 shots to improve to 19-12-3 on the season. In the process, his numbers continue improve. Luongo has a .930 save percentage, 3rd best in the league by literally 1/1000th of a point, and a 1.97 goals against average, also 3rd best in the league. He has 5 shutouts in his last 14 starts, a span in which he has posted a 10-3-1 record. Stephen Valiquette took the loss in net for the Blueshirts stopping 16 of 19 shots. Valiquette fell to 2-3-1 on the season with an .896 save percentage and a 2.73 goals against average. It was the 6th start of the season for Valiquette who has made 8 appearances this season for the Rangers.
* Michael Peca is back after missing 5 games with a sore neck and complaining of headaches. He made an instant difference scoring 2 goals, including the game winner with a little over 5 minutes remaining in regulation, as the Columbus Blue Jackets edged the host Los Angeles Kings 4-3. Peca scored his 3rd of the season in the 2nd period to give the Jackets a 3-2 lead and then vaulted them to the win with his 4th goal late in the 3rd period. He has 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) on 26 games.
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