Friday March 27

With crunch time officially upon the NHL it was a slow Former Islanders night around the league. FIs contributed in only 2 of 6 outings. Here is a quick look at their contributions:

Buffalo center Tim Connolly pocketed 2 goals including the game winner as the Sabres pulled out a 5-3 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. The multi-goal effort earned Connolly the 1st star. With 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) over the last 2 games TimCo now has 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points on 40 games. The winner pushed his single season high up to 5 and Connolly now has 17 deciding tallies on his career. It was the 2nd straight game in which TimCo has netted the game winning goal, a feat he has accomplished twice this season. Assisting on the 2nd Toronto goal was center Jeff Hamilton. He snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 5 points (2 goal, 3 assists) in 11 games with Toronto.

Facing FI goaltender Chris Osgood for the first since the lockout the Isles faired well enough slipping 2 goals past the goaltender on 30 shots for a 2-0 win over the host Detroit Red Wings. In a case of vice versa Islanders' starter Joey MacDonald recorded his first career shutout against his original team with the victory. Ozzie was unsuccessful for the 2nd straight game yet took the loss for the first time in those two starts. He is now 24-7-7 on the season. It was also a momentous night as an Islander goalie shutout the Red Wings in Detroit for the first time since 1981 with Isles' great Billy Smith the last player to accomplish the feat.

Check in soon with FIW for more updates and recaps soon.