Friday October 10

The first weekend of the 2008-09 NHL season was lined up to be a busy one. Friday night was no exception as nearly half the league (14 teams) faced off in 7 high octane tilts. Former Islanders made contributions in only a pair of those games. In a way the FI season has bubbled more than come to an instant boil. Let us look at the happenings:

Defenseman Bryan McCabe recorded his first point as a Panther tallying a powerplay assist on Florida's 2nd goal of the game as they fell 6-4 to the host Carolina Hurricanes. McCabe is looking for a quick start to prove that he can breathe offensive life in to what is otherwise a defense first blueline. Update: Of course to temper the quick start, McCabe will miss at least the next 2 weeks nursing a back injury! We hope for a speedy recovery for Bryan.

It was a nice start to the new season for Washington defenseman Tom Poti who recorded a shorthanded assist on the Capitals' 2nd goal as they were out-motored by the host Atlanta Thrashers 7-4. The shortie was Poti's first since March 20, 2007 when he was with the Isles. The lapse between shorthanded helpers was a span of 81 games including 5 playoff competitions. Also get involved was FI teammate Viktor Kozlov who notched a powerplay assist for his first point of the season. Kozzer is looking to record his third straight 50+ point season for the first time in his career and helped his cause with the helper.

Check back soon for more news, updates and recaps at FIW.