Friday, May 30, 2008

Wednesday May 28

With the Detroit Red Wings having completely neutered the Pittsburgh Penguins offensively through the first 2 games of the Stanley Cup Final, the focus was on Pittsburgh reversing their woes in Game 3 at home. The Pens were 8-0 at home on the playoffs entering Wednesday night's matchup. Here is a look at the results:

* The Penguins eked out a 3-2 win to improve to 9-0 in the playoffs on home ice. Pittsburgh cut Detroit's series lead to 2-1. FI Detroit goalie Chris Osgood made a solid effort stopping 21 of 24 shots but took the loss. Ozzie fell to 12-3 on the playoffs but maintains a super-low goals against average (1.48) and an impressive save percentage (.935). Sidney Crosby led the charge for the Pens scoring the first 2 goals of the game just about 5 minutes apart from the end of the opening frame to the start of the 2nd Period.

The series resumes on Saturday at the Mellon Arena. Check back for more updates at FIW.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Monday May 26

The Stanley Cup Final resumed on Monday as the Detroit Red Wings hosted Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here is a look:

* The Wings continue to stun the Pens with another shutout win to grab a 2-0 series lead. Pittsburgh has had no luck against a lockdown Detroit defense. Chris Osgood stopped 22 shots to record his 2nd straight shutout and 3rd of the playoffs. Ozzie is 12-2 this postseason and became the first goalie since Martin Brodeur in 2003 to record back-to-back blankings in the first 2 games of the Stanley Cup Final. Osgood has an unbelievably slim 1.38 goals against average and a healthy .939 save percentage. Defenseman Brad Stuart scored a goal less than 7 minutes in to the 1st Period then added an assist in the 3rd to lead Detroit charge.

Check back soon for more news and highlights.

Saturday May 24

The Stanley Cup Final kicked off on Saturday with what has shaped up to be a classic matchup between the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings and the young and talented upstart Pittsburgh Penguins. Here is a recap:

* The Wings grabbed a 1-0 series lead by blanking the Pens 4-0 from Joe Louis Arena. Winger Mikael Samuelsson scored 13 minutes in to the 2nd Period then added a goal only 2 minutes in to the 3rd to lead the Detroit offensive charge. FI goaltender Chris Osgood faced only 19 shots and could thank the shutdown defensive work of his teammates as he recorded his 2nd shutout of the playoffs. Ozzie improved to 11-2 on the playoffs.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Monday May 19

The Detroit Red Wings must have been inspired by the Pittsburgh Penguins because they decided to close down shop too. After failing the first 2 times to finish their series against the Dallas Stars, the Wings accomplished the task on Monday night. Here is a recap:

* Chris Osgood stopped 28 of 29 shots as the Red Wings won 4-1 over the hopeful host Stars. Detroit won the Western Conference Final 4-2. Osgood, the lone FI going to the Stanley Cup Final, is 10-2 on the playoffs since replacing Dominik Hasek as the starter in the 1st Round. Ozzie has been amazing since with a 1.60 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and 1 shutout. We wish Ozzie the best as he challenges for his 3rd ring. Congratulations Detroit on getting this far.

Check in soon as the Stanley Cup Final begins on Saturday May 24. Until then we wish you the best from FIW.

Sunday March 18

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished the job with a bit of grandiloquence on Sunday. Here is a look:

* The Penguins are headed to the Stanley Cup Final following a 6-0 thumping of the visiting Philadelphia Flyers to take the Eastern Conference Final 4-1. The Pens have been an unbelievable 8-0 at home on the playoffs and should provide a hearty challenger for whichever team makes it out of the West. Congratulations to the Pens for making it this far!

Check here soon for more news and updates as we approach the Final.

Saturday March 17

The Detroit Red Wings failed to close out their Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars for the second straight game. Here is a glimpse of what happened:

* Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 19 of 21 shots but the offense was not there as Marty Turco stonewalled the Wings for a 2-1 Stars win. The Dallas victory cut Detroit's series lead to 3-2. Ozzie fell to 9-2 on the playoffs suffering his first back-to-back losses since he had a 4 game cold streak from February 7-15.

Check here soon for more highlights at FIW.

Thursday March 15

The Philadelphia Flyers made it clear that they would not go down without a fight. Here is a look at the match from Thursday:

* The Flyers doubled up on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins for a 4-2 win. The Pens still have a 3-1 series lead.

Check back here for more updates at FIW after action resumes on Saturday.

Wednesday May 14

The Dallas Stars, against the ropes for the first time this postseason, staved off elimination on Monday. The Stars will try to continue the near impossible comeback on Friday. Here is a look at Game 4 of the Western Conference Final:

* Chris Osgood stopped 19 of 22 shots as the Detroit Red Wings fell 3-1 to the host Stars. Detroit still holds a commanding 3-1 series lead. Ozzie suffered his first lost of the postseason and is now 9-1 on the playoffs. Osgood had not lost a decision since March 28 when Detroit fell 4-3 to the St. Louis Blues in OT. Additionally, it was Osgood's first regulation loss March 15!

Check in soon for more news and updates at FIW.

Tuesday May 13

Watching was happens in the Eastern Conference Final is like holding a mirror up to the West. Another series, another commanding lead. Here is a recap:

* The Pittsburgh Penguins had a romp in Philadelphia as they beat the Flyers 4-1 to secure a 3-0 series lead. Just like their Western Conference counterpart Detroit Red Wings, the Pens are just one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final.

Check in soon for more updates and news at FIW.

Monday May 12

The Western Conference Final rolled along on Monday while the domination continues. Here is a look at the action:

* The Chris Osgood-led Detroit Red Wings grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 5-2 thumping over the host Dallas Stars. Ozzie stopped 16 of 18 shots faced to improve to 9-0 (!) on the playoffs.

Check in soon for more news and updates at FIW.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sunday May 11

Things were a little calmer as the Eastern Conference Final resumed on Sunday. But for the Philadelphia Flyers many question marks need to be answered, especially the burning query: How do they stop the Pittsburgh Penguins' attack? The Flyers, already bereft of a top defenseman lost another on Sunday as the Pens continue to wrap up this series early. Let us take a look:

* The Pens pulled off another 4-2 home win as they overcame blowing two 1 goal leads. Pittsburgh holds a 2-0 series lead and is an amazing 7-0 at home during this playoff run. Philly better figure out how to stymie the Pittsburgh attack soon or they will be done any day now.

Check here soon as everyday seems to hold some more 2008 NHL Playoff action.

Saturday May 10

Game 2 of the Western Conference Final was a heated event. A late scrum put a damper on what is quickly turning out to be more Detroit dominance. Here is a quick recap:

* Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 17 of a meager 18 Dallas shots as the host Red Wings edged the Stars 2-1. Detroit grabbed a 2-0 series lead but the story was not Detroit's early domination but the tensions running between the teams. Late in the 3rd Period Dallas forward Mike Ribeiro slashed Osgood up and over the backside of the goal and across the chest following contact that seemed to have sparked his ire. Replay seems to show that Ozzie nonchalantly butted Ribeiro with the end of his stick as the Dallas forward was chasing down a puck deep in the Detroit zone. Ribeiro took exception and lost his cool pulling a Chris Simon-esque swing on Detroit's new #1 keeper. If Osgood intentionally butted Ribeiro it was in poor taste but Ribeiro really took it too far. Word is still out on whether or not he will be suspended. Otherwise, Ozzie is still a major factor for Detroit's success. In 9 appearances (8 starts) he is now 8-0 with a 1.40 goals against average (!) and a .939 save percentage (!) with only 1 shutout (buh!).

Check back here for more news soon at FIW.

Friday May 9

The Eastern Conference Finals commenced on Friday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the surprisingly potent Philadelphia Flyers. Let us take a look at the action:

* The Pens reversed a 2-1 deficit to pull out a 4-2 win over the Flyers. Pittburgh owns a 1-0 series lead.

Check with FIW soon for more recaps.

Thursday May 8

Conference Finals action kicked off on Thursday night as we are now down to the Final 4. Surprisingly the East hosts two teams who in recent years languished at the depths of the league. Philadelphia was the worst squad last season while Pittsburgh had that honor 2 years ago. But the story on Thursday were two Western Conference powerhouses, Dallas and Detroit, facing off for the right to fight for the Stanley Cup. Here is a look at the action:

* Chris Osgood continued to flash the talent as he stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Detroit Red Wings steamrolled the visiting Dallas Stars 4-1 to grab an early 1-0 series lead. Ozzie remains perfect through this playoffs and now owns a 7-0 record.

Check in soon for more updates at FIW.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Sunday May 4

The Conference Semifinals resumed on Sunday as both teams with series control did what they needed to do to shut down their respective series. Yet again, there was no Former Islander action of note. Here is a look at the results:

* Despite the hearty come-from-behind effort, the New York Rangers season came to end as the host Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Blueshirts 3-2 in OT to take the series 4 games to 1. The Rangers overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring 2 goals in 1:22 in the 3rd Period to force OT. It only took Marian Hossa 7:10 of ice time in the sudden death frame to stuff home a misdirection off captain Sidney Crosby. The secondary assist was courtesy of Hossa-trade addition Pascal Dupuis. Hossa and Dupuis received redemption after having played on the Atlanta Thrashers squad that got swept by the Rangers in the first round of last year's playoffs.

* The third time was a charm for the Dallas Stars who needed 4OT frames to beat the San Jose Sharks. The host Stars won the series 4-2 after surviving the 8th longest game in NHL history and having nearly blown a 3-0 series lead. Dallas captain Brenden Morrow stuffed home the winner 9:03 in to the 4th OT. Five of the six contests in this series were determined by a one goal difference.

Check in later in the week as the Conference Finals commence on Thursday May 8. Only a couple of Former Islanders are still in the running: Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood and Philadelphia role player Jim Dowd.

Saturday May 3

There was yet again a single game on Saturday. Despite the copiousness of the Former Islanders on the ice there is no FI action to report. Here is a look at the tilt:

* The Philadelphia Flyers closed the chapter on the Montreal Canadiens' season as they defeated the host Habs 6-4 to win the series 4-1. After losing the first game in OT, the Flyers took control winning the next four contests by outscoring the Canadiens 17 goals to 10.

Check here soon for more updates at FIW.

Friday May 2

There was a lone game on tap on Friday night. There were no Former Islanders on either squad. Here is a peek at the result:

* San Jose avoided elimination for a second straight game as the Sharks defeated the visiting Dallas Stars 3-2 in OT. Dallas holds a 3-2 series lead. Four of the five games in this series have been determined by 1 goal.

Check in for more updates, news and highlights at FIW.

Thursday May 1

Welcome to May. One series ended dramatically on Thursday while another team avoided the chopping block. Former Islanders active in both contests. Let us take a quick look at the games from Thursday night:

* The New York Rangers avoided elimination with a 3-0 blanking of the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens hold a 3-1 series lead. Martin Straka had an assist on an insurance powerplay goal only 44 seconds in to the 3rd Period. Straka has been impressive with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on 9 playoff games. Straka has notched 4 of those points (1 goal, 3 assists) on the man advantage.

* Chris Osgood stopped 29 of 31 shots but could have surrendered a lot more as the Detroit Red Wings thrashed the host Colorado Avalanche 8-2 to sweep their Semifinal series 4 games to 0. Ozzie has been unbelievable for the Wings since grabbing the top goaltending spot from Dominik Hasek. He is 6-0 in the playoffs having surrendered only 10 goals on 7 appearances (6 starts) with a 1.52 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and 1 shutout. Osgood will be expected to keep up the excellent play and carry they team as they return to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season. The injury-plagued Avs were without Peter Forsberg and FI Ryan Smyth in their season finale.

Check here soon for more updates and highlights as we still have 3 Semifinals matchups in action.

Wednesday April 30

There were two more Semifinal matchups on Wednesday. One team had the chance to sweep their series, to no avail, while another squad to a commanding lead. There were no major Former Islander happenings of note. Here is a quick look at the games:

* The Philadelphia Flyers grabbed a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 4-2 home win over the Montreal Canadiens. After losing Game 1 of the series in OT by giving up the 4th goal, the Flyers have been solid surrendering only 2 goals in the next 3 games.

* The Dallas Stars failed to close out the series on the San Jose Sharks dropping a 2-1 decision at home. The Stars still hold a stranglehold 3-1 lead in their Semifinal pairing.

Check in for more updates and highlights soon as the calendar switches to May.