Saturday January 17

There were an impressive 11 games up for grabs on Saturday. As teams battle for positioning we are witnessing the push for points before the All-Star break. Former Islanders are definitely upping the ante with their help. FIs made waves in 6 of those contests. Here is a peek:

Boston defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara had a powerplay helper on the lone Bruins' goal as they fell 2-1 to the host Washington Capitals. Chara has 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points on 45 games. Over the last 4 games he has registered 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points. He has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) on the powerplay this season. Add to that a shorthanded helper and 17 of Chara's 26 points have come on the special teams.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly had a big night scoring 2 goals and receiving the first star honor as the Sabres downed the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. The oft-injured Connolly scored his first goal since November 12 and now has 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points on 11 games. The 2 goal effort was his TimCo's first since May 5, 2006 - Game 2 of the Sabres' 2nd round series against the Ottawa Senators during the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2nd goal was also a big one as it was career point #250 for Connolly who has 74 goals and 176 assists on 449 games.

Florida forward Richard Zednik notched the Panthers' 3rd goal as they pulled out a 4-3 win over the host Tampa Bay Lightning. Zed now has 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points on 33 games. Over the last 4 games Zednik has racked up 4 points on 1 goal and 3 assists. For the 11th straight season Zed has reached the 15+ point plateau. The netter snapped a 5 game goal-less run.



Atlanta defenseman Mathieu Schneider rocketed home of Thrashers' 5th goal as they trounced on the host Nashville Predators for a 7-2 win. The score snapped an 11 game goal-less stretch. Schneids now has 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points on 33 games. Over the last 2 games he has registered 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist). For the 19th straight season Schneider has reached the 10+ point mark.


Phoenix center Olli Jokinen netted the Coyotes' 3rd goal as they edged the host Calgary Flames 4-3. Jokinen has 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points on 40 games. Assisting on the Flames' 1st goal was d-man Adrian Aucoin. He has 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points on 44 games. Aucoin has assists in consecutive games and has recorded 4 helpers over the last 4 outings.



Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood looked unsteady as the San Jose Sharks downed the visiting Red Wings in a shoot-a-thon 6-5. Ozzie stopped 35 of 41 shots in surrendering all 6 goals. It was the 5th time this season that Osgood has let in 5 or more goals. The loss dropped him to 15-3-5 on the season while dropping his save percentage to .883 and bloating his goals against average to 3.23.


Check back soon for more updates.