Saturday March 15

Two-thirds of NHL teams were in play on Saturday in 10 hotly contested competitions. Former Islanders are helping to make the playoff dream a reality for many of the teams around the league. Let us look at the FI happenings from a busy weekend day:

* Chris Osgood stopped 24 of 26 shots but Detroit's offense was surprisingly absent as the Red Wings lost to the visiting Nashville Predators 3-1. Ozzie is now 25-9-3 on the season having dropped the first decision in his last 3 starts.

* Jason Blake had an assist on Toronto's 1st goal as the host Maple Leafs were tripled up by the Buffalo Sabres for a 6-2 loss. Blake, adding to his new single season high in assists, has 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points on 73 games. It is the 5th straight season that Blake has recorded 45+ points.

* Luongo stopped 35 of 38 shots as the Vancouver Canucks edged the host Dallas Stars 4-3. Luongo won for the first time in his last 3 starts and is now 32-22-9 on the season with a .921 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average.

* FI defenseman Roman Hamrlik scored the powerplay game winner as the visiting Islanders were blanked by the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. Hamrlik snapped a 3 game point drought and a 10 game goal-less run to improve to 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists) on 68 games. Despite having scored only 5 goals this season Hamrlik has put in 3 game winners, the most he has had since he recorded 4 with the Isles in the 2000-01 season.

* D-man Mathieu Schneider scored the opening goal of the game then added 2 assists, including 1 on the powerplay, as the Anaheim Ducks thumped the visiting St. Louis Blues for a 5-2 win. Schneids has 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points on 57 games. With the effort he snapped a 5 game point-less streak and a 6 game goal-less stretch. Schneider has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) on the man advantage. With the 3 point contribution Schneider received 3rd star of the game honor.

* Robert Nilsson assisted on Edmonton's 2nd goal as the Oilers beat the host Phoenix Coyotes 5-2. Nilsson now has 9 goals and 25 assists for 34 points on 61 games.

Check with FIW soon for more updates and highlights.