FI News: Zednik and Odjick(!)

Well Thursday brought a pair of interesting Former Islander stories including 3 terms you thought you would never read in the same article: Vatican City, sorrow and Gino Odjick. Let us take a look:

It has been reported that Florida Panthers' winger Richard Zednik has signed a 2 year deal with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League on the same day he was nominated for the Bill Masterson Trophy for the most perseverence of any NHL player in 2008-09. The 12 year veteran just wrapped up his comeback season in which he netted 17 goals and added 16 assists for 33 points on 70 games. Midway through the 2007-08 campaign Zed nearly lost his life after taking a skate blade to his neck in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Zed's return, and 70 games, was a literally triumph for a player whose life was on the brink. If Zednik really leaves for Russia he ends his NHL career with 745 games played, 200 goals scored and 179 assists for 379 points. In his mini-stint with the Isles at the end of the 2006-07 season Zed scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 10 games and managed 0 points in 5 playoff games. We wish Richard the best in Russian.

If you want those 3 terms from the header to make sense read this story about Algonquin chief and former NHL tough guy Gino Odjick joining his fellow tribal leaders on a trip to the Vatican City where those Canadian Indians received a semi-apology from the Pope about the poor living conditions and awful treatment in the now defunct residential schools. Odjick, a 605 game veteran, retired following 2001-02 season after spending most of his career with the Vancouver Canucks. Odjick played parts of 3 seasons with the Isles racking up 82 games, 9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points and 254 penalty minutes.

Check back soon for more with FIW as the 2nd Round of the playoffs kicks off on Thursday night.

Monday April 27

Two more series wrapped up on Monday as a mighty giant fell (San Jose) to a surprisingly good #8 seed (Anaheim) and a youthful troupe (Chicago) kicked out the pathetically pathetic (Calgary). There was only one Former Islander happening of note. Here goes:

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi scored his team's lone goal as the Flames fell at home 4-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks. The 'Hawks took the series 4-2. Bert was all but invisible in the series as he snapped a 4 game point-less streak with the netter. He compiled a measly 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in the 6 games. The score snapped a 13 game playoff goal-less streak dating back to May 17, 2007 during Bertuzzi's brief stay with the Detroit Red Wings.

Check back soon with FIW as Tuesday will round out the first round.

Sunday April 26

There were 2 more playoff games on Sunday with 2 more teams making a second attempt to close out their respective series. Both teams failed meaning game 7s on Tuesday. Former Islanders helped out (big time help!) in one of those two outings. Here is a look:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti had a dream game scoring a goal and adding 3 assists for an impressive 4 point effort as the Capitals downed the host New York Rangers 5-3 to pull their series even at 3-3. Poti was, of course, the first star for his effort. In 6 playoff games this postseason he has 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists. With 1 goal and 4 assists Poti has had 5 points over the last 2 games alone. Not known as an offensive source in the postseason, Poti now has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) on 37 playoff games. Poti has literally doubled his postseason points in this series and with the 4 point game literally boosted his playoff scoring by 50 percent! Scoring the game winning goal for the Caps was center Viktor Kozlov. He snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 2 goals in the 6 games. The winning tally was Koz's first in the playoffs and he now has 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) on 27 postseason games. For the 2nd straight game Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette made a 3rd Period start stopping a meager 2 shots in his 20 minute stint. Vali has 2 no decisions on his playoff career with 9 saves on 9 shots for a 0.00 goals against average. (Maybe the Rags should start him in Game 7!)

Check back soon as we wind down the first round here at FIW.

Saturday April 25

There were 3 games on Saturday as the first round series of the 2009 NHL playoffs chugged along. Former Islanders aided their teams in only 1 of those trio of games. Here is a quick look:

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored the first of 5 unanswered Penguins' goals as the Pens rallied from a 3-0 deficit early in the 2nd Period to stun the host Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 to wrap up the series with a 4-2 record. A ill-advised fight started by Flyers aggressor Daniel Carcillo was the catalyst that drove the Pens comeback. Fedo also added an assist and received the 2nd star honor. The Tank had 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points on 6 games. In his 59th playoff game Fedotenko notched his 19th and 20th postseason points. He has 14 goals and 6 assists over that span. Pens winger Bill Guerin received the primary assist on his team's 3rd goal. Billy G snapped a 3 game point-less streak and finished the series with 2 goals and 1 assists fr 3 points including 1 game winning tally.

Check with FIW soon for more updates, highlights and recaps.

Friday April 24

As the first round series of the 2009 NHL playoffs grind on, many already having come to an end, Former Islanders continue to help out their hopeful squads. With 1 game on tap FIs helped out both sides as the Washington Capitals pulled off a 4-0 blanking over the visiting New York Rangers to pull their series to 3-2 with the Blueshirts still on top. Here is a look at the contest:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti received the secondary assist on the first insurance goal. With a 1 goal and an 1 assist over the last 3 games Poti now has 2 points on 5 games. Poti has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) on 36 playoff games. Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette came in to start the 3rd Period as starter Henrik Lundqvist surrendered those 4 goals on only 14 shots. Vali was perfect stopping all 7 shots he faced in his first career playoff appearance. In fact, Valiquette had not appeared in a game since March 26, his last start of the regular season.

Check in soon with FIW for more recaps and updates.

Thursday April 23

With 4 games up for grabs on Thursday night, as we continue to plow through the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs, Former Islanders stepped up in 2 of those outings. Here is a look at the FI happenings:

Tough Philadelphia winger Arron Asham scored the game winning goal only 6:32 into the 2nd Period as the Flyers shutdown for the host Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 to stay alive in their series. The Pens now hold a 3-2 series lead as the teams head back to Philly for Game 6. The goal was first career winner for Asham in the playoffs and only his 2nd in the postseason. The netter snapped a 13 game playoff goal-less streak dating back to April 12, 2007 while Ash was still a member of the Isles. The score also snapped a 10 game drought dating back to April 1.

Columbus finally cracked Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood. The problem? It was too little, too late. Ozzie surrendered 5 goals on 32 shots but the Red Wings scored with 47 seconds remaining in regulation to pull off a 6-5 win over the host Blue Jackets to seal up the series in only 4 games. The BJs scored 4 goals in the 2nd Period to entered the 3rd Period even at 5 but the Wings found a way to sneak away from Columbus with the sweep, a sad end to the Jacks' first playoff experience. Ozzie is 4-0 on the playoffs with a 1.75 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. Pocketing 2 assists for Columbus was winger Raffi Torres. He had 2 assists in the 4 games and snapped a 3 game playoff point-less drought dating back to June 19, 2006 while still a member of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.

Check in soon for weekend recaps at FIW.

Wednesday April 22

With another 3 games up for grabs on Wednesday there was prime opportunity for Former Islanders to help out. Alas, FIs only aided their team in 1 of these three contests. Here is a quick look:

Calgary center Olli Jokinen scored his first 2 career playoff goals and added an assist to lead the charge as the Flames confounded the visiting Chicago Blackhawks for a 6-4 victory. The win pulls the Flames even with the 'Hawks 2-2 in the best of 7 series. With points in 3 straight games, O-Jok now has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) on 4 games. Jokinen's assist came on a goal by fellow FI and defenseman Adrian Aucoin, his 2nd of the series. Aucoin has 2 goals and 1 assists for 3 points on those 4 games.

Check in soon with FIW for updates and highlights.

Tuesday April 21

There was a quintuplet of games on Tuesday as the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs chugs along. Former Islanders helped out in a meager pair of games. Let us take a look at those 2 tilts:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood continued his hot play again shutting down the Columbus Blue Jackets with a brilliant performance as the Red Wings beat the first time playoff host BJs 4-1. Ozzie stopped 31 of 32 shots faced to improve to 3-0 on the playoffs with a 0.67 goals against average and a .974 save percentage. Over all, Osgood has won his last 4 playoff starts dating back to last season's Stanley Cup Final. The victory puts the Jackets up against the ropes as the Wings now lead 3-0.

Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo finished off his series with a brilliant performance as the Canucks pulled out a 3-2 OT win over the host St. Louis Blues to sweep the series 4-0. Lu was literally standing on his head stopping 47 of 49 shots including 18 in the OT frame as the 'Nucks pulled out the win with only 19 seconds remaining in the extra period. Luongo is 4-0 in the playoffs having surrendered only 5 goals for a 1.16 goals against average. He has faced 131 shots stopping 126 of them for a .962 save percentage. It will be exciting to see if he can keep up the momentum considering Vancouver will have a considerable break since they are the first team to wrap up their first round series.

Check with FIW soon for more scores, recaps and updates.

Monday April 20

There were a trio (3) of games on the NHL schedule on Monday as we begin to reach the midpoint of the 8 first round matchups. Former Islanders kicked in their support in all 3 of those outings. Here is a look at the FI happenings:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti netted the final goal, a powerplay tally, with only 85 seconds remaining in play as the Capitals plunked and blanked the host New York Rangers 4-0 on the heals of a brilliant performance by rookie Caps' goaltender Simeon Varlamov. Poti scored for the first time on his career in the playoffs and snapped an 8 game postseason point-less stretch with the goal. Poti has 34 playoff contests under his belt to the tune of 9 points (1 goal, 8 assists). With the win the Caps pulled back into the series cutting the Blueshirts' lead to 2-1.

Boston d-man Zdeno Chara was credited with the secondary assist on the empty net goal with only 37 seconds remaining in regulation as the Bruins doubled up on the host Montreal Canadiens for a 4-2 victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead. The assist was the 2nd point (1 goal, 1 assist) of the postseason for Chara in 3 games. He now has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists) on 55 career playoff games.


Calgary d-man Adrian Aucoin assisted on the Flames' first goal as the host downed the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 to pull the series within a game at 2-1 'Hawks. Aucoin now has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) on 3 playoff games this postseason. Assisting on the 2nd Flames' goal was center Olli Jokinen who now has points in back-to-back playoff games and has 2 assists over the 3 game set.


Check back with FIW soon for more playoff highlights.

Sunday April 19

There were 4 more games on tap as the 2009 NHL playoffs chugged along on Sunday. Former Islanders again helped out in half the competitions (2). Here is a summation:

Tough Philadelphia winger (aren't they all?) Arron Asham assisted on the first insurance goal as the Flyers crushed the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 to narrow the Pens' series lead to 2-1. Ash now has 1 assist on 3 playoff games this postseason. The helper was Asham's first postseason since April 13, 2008 while with the New Jersey Devils snapping a 4 playoff game point-less streak. Asham has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) on his 26 playoff game career. Assisting on the Pens' first goal was winger Ruslan Fedotenko. The point was the first of the postseason for Fedo in 3 games and snapped a 12 playoff game goal-less streak dating back to June 7, 2004 when Tank netted both goals in the Stanley Cup winning Game 7 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo did it again stopping 24 of 26 shots as the Canucks edged the host St. Louis Blues 3-2 and put them on the edge of elimination as the 'Nucks now own a 3-0 series lead. Luongo, who was not as solid as his first 2 games, has won 3 straight games and is sporting some impressive numbers with a 1.00 goals against average, a .963 save percentage and 1 shutout.


Check back with FIW for more playoff updates and highlights.

Saturday April 18

There were 4 games on the schedule Saturday as the 2009 NHL playoffs continued. Former Islanders aided in 2 of those contests. Here is a quick snapshot:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped all 25 shots he faced as the host Red Wings downed the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4-0 victory. The win gives the Wings a 2-0 series advantage. Ozzie, the first star, is now 2-0 on the postseason having surrendered only 1 goal on 46 shots for a .978 save percentage and a 0.50 goals against average. The goose egg was the 14th of Osgood's career in the postseason and improves his playoff record to 61-41 in 108 games.

Calgary defenseman Adrian Aucoin scored a goal late in the 1st Period that staked the Flames to a 2-0 lead which evaporated as the host Chicago Blackhawks pulled off a 3-2 come-from-behind win to snatch a 2-0 series lead. The netter snapped a 14 game postseason goal-less streak dating back to April 16, 2003 when Aucoin was still a member of the Isles. The playoff goal was the 5th of Aucoin's career coming in his 36th postseason game. He has 1 goal on 2 games in this series so far. Assisting on the goal was center Olli Jokinen. The helper was Jokinen's first career playoff point.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Friday April 17

There were 3 games up for grabs on Friday as the 1st Round matchups continued. Former Islanders helped out in 2 of those contests. Here is a brief look:

Pittsburgh winger Bill Guerin scored 2 goals including the powerplay game winner as the Penguins edged the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in OT to take a 2-0 series lead. Billy G now has 2 goals in his first 2 playoff games with Pittsburgh. The netter snapped a 10 game playoff goal-less streak dating back to April 30, 2006 while still with the Dallas Stars. The playoff winner was his first since the 1997 postseason while still with the New Jersey Devils and was only the 3rd of his career. Guerin now has 50 points (30 goals, 20 assists) on 99 career playoff games.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped all 30 shots he faced as the Canucks blanked the visiting St. Louis Blues to grab a 3-0 win and a 2-0 series lead. Lu has surrendered only 1 goal on 56 shots for a .982 save percentage through the first 2 playoff games. The shutout was a career first for Luongo in the postseason.



Check back soon with FIW for more updates and recaps.

Thursday April 16

By the end of the night each of the 16 playoff teams had a taste of the 2009 NHL playoffs. Former Islanders came out to help in 3 of the 4 Thursday night contests. Here is a quick look:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara netted the game winning powerplay goal just over 11 minutes into the 3rd Period as the Bruins downed the visiting Montreal Canadiens 4-2. Chara scored for the 2nd time in his last 4 playoff games. The score was the first game winner in the postseason for Chara and the 3rd powerplay tally he has scored at this time of year making it 1 extra man goal in each of the last 3 playoffs he has been in. The Bs took an early 1-0 series lead in a flip-flop rematch of last seasons 1st round matchup.

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced as the Red Wings took advantage of a key Columbus error to beat the visiting Blue Jackets 4-1. This capped off the BJs first franchise playoff game giving Detroit a 1-0 series lead. Ozzie continues his good playoff work winning for the 15th time in his last 19 postseason starts. The defending champs, the Wings jump out to an early 1-0 series lead.


Calgary left winger Todd Bertuzzi assisted on the short-lived game leading goal as the Flames fell 3-2 in OT to the host Chicago Blackhawks. Bert snapped a 3 game postseason point-less streak dating back to April 15, 2008 - the 3rd game of the Anaheim Ducks' first round series against the Dallas Stars. Bert now has 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) in 47 playoff games. Calgary falls in an early hole 1-0 to the 'Hawks.


Stay in touch with FIW as we will continue to track the progress of FIs in this race towards Lord Stanley's Cup.

Opening Night: Wednesday April 15

Tax Day in the U.S. decided to coincide with the start of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. We suffered a little glitch here at FIW so we will not have the Eastern Conference Former Islander list like there was for the Western Conference since it takes forever to write. So here is the fastest possible list of FIs:

#1 Boston: Zdeno Chara (D)
#2 Washington: Viktor Kozlov (F), Tom Poti (D), John Erskine (D)
#3 New Jersey: Kevin Weekes (G)
#4 Pittsburgh: Miroslav Satan(?) (RW), Bill Guerin (RW), Ruslan Fedotenko (LW), Eric Godard (RW)
#5 Philadelphia: Arron Asham (RW)
#6 Carolina: Nobody for this bunch of clowns!
#7 New York Rangers: Stephen Valiquette (G)
#8 Montreal: Roman Hamrlik (D), Mathieu Schneider (D)

Now onto the games. There were 4 contests on Wednesday night. FIs stepped up 2 of those contests. Here are the recaps:

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov scored the Capitals' 2nd goal as the hosts fell to the New York Rangers in a close 4-3 game. The Blueshirts took a 1-0 series lead with the victory. The tally snapped a post-season goal-less streak of 17 games. In his 18th career playoff game Kozlov finally found the net. Koz has, however, managed 6 assists in the playoffs.



Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo dominated stopping 25 of 26 shots, which was just enough, as the the Canucks edged the visiting St. Louis Blues 2-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. With the victory Lu snapped a 3 game postseason losing streak dating back to April 27, 2007 when the 'Nucks were in the 2nd round against the future Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks.



Check back soon with FIW as we will continue to follow the playoffs.

Playoff FIs: Western Conference

Let us take a look at the Former Islanders who should be gracing the NHL squads during the push for Lord Stanley's Cup - the pantheon of sports trophies. The glittering epitome of silver beauty. The greatest guerdon known to living man. Digression. The teams have been arranged by conference and according to rank. Here is the Western Conference:

Western Conference

#1 San Jose: The best team in the league and Stanley Cup favorite, the Sharks feature a lone FI in defenseman Brad Lukowich who wound his way to NorCal during the offseason trade that sent blueliner Dan Boyle packing from Tampa Bay. Luko suffered some major injury time playing in only 58 games this season. In those games he managed only 8 assists. We will have to wait and see if the true impact for Lukowich will be his presence on the blue line.

#2 Detroit: The perennial powerhouse Red Wings feature a lone FI, as well. A large part of the team's Cup-winning success from last postseason, goaltender Chris Osgood is going to try to regain last season's awesome form which may be a daunting task in light of his less than stellar season. Ozzie split time with Ty Conklin managing starts in only 44 games and appearances in 46. Over that span Osgood sported a 26-9-8 record which looks deceivingly good. Beneath the surface Ozzie surrendered an average of 3.09 goals per game while stopping shots at only an .887 clip, the latter of which being the worst of any season for the veteran goalie. He managed only 2 shutouts. Only time will tell if Osgood can find his true self.

#3 Vancouver: On the other side of the coin is stellar goalie Roberto Luongo who came back from injury to dominate the Northwest Division. Luongo went 33-13-7 on the season in 54 starts. At one point Lu had won 12 of 13 games helping the Canucks rise from potentially out of the playoffs to division champs. Lu pulled off a 2.34 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and a single season high 9 shutouts. Questionable to make it back for the playoffs is winger Taylor Pyatt who lost his fiancee to a car accident shortly before the end of the season. T-Py played in 69 games posting 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points. Also questionable is defenseman Rob Davison who played in only 23 games on the season with the 'Nucks recording 2 assists. Davison has not seen ice time with the team since February 10.

#4 Chicago: The fate of Blawkhawks' d-man Aaron Johnson is currently unknown for the playoffs but we will keep a watch on whether the blueliner makes an appearance. Johnson started the season off hot for the 'Hawks and then rapidly cooled off. With 7 points in the first 17 games of the season Johnson seemed poised for a big year but fell apart soon thereafter managing only 1 point in his next 21 games. Johnson only played in 38 games recording 3 goals and adding 5 assists for 8 points.

#5 Calgary: Calgary made some major moves during the season including the acquisition of center Olli Jokinen which, when you look at the record (8-11), not only caused a late season slump but also lost the Flames the division crown and home advantage in the first round. O-Jok headlines a trio of Flames' FIs which also includes winger Todd Bertuzzi and d-man Adrian Aucoin. Jokinen is making it to the playoffs for the first time in his 799 game NHL career though he backed into it via the trade north from Phoenix. Jokinen finished his weakest season in the last 6 years with 57 points (29 goals, 28 assists) on 76 games. Bertuzzi started the season off hot, a streak tempered by injuries and fatigue. He finished the season respectably with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) on 66 games. Bert is looking to regain some form in the playoffs. D-man Aucoin had another 30+ point season managing 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points on 81 games.

#6 St. Louis: With captain and d-man Eric Brewer out indefinitely following December back surgery the cinderella Blues feature no FIs.







#7 Columbus: Making their first appearance as a franchise in the NHL playoffs the Blue Jackets feature a trio of FIs. First off is winger Raffi Torres who was instrumental late in the season for the BJs. Torres scored 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points on 51 injury-shortened games but it was his 6 games winners, including 4 in March, that helped vault Columbus into the playoffs. Center Michael Peca played another grinder of a season scoring 4 goals and adding 18 assists for 22 points on 71 games. Of those goals scored by Peca 2 were game winners. Finally, late season pickup goalie Wade Dubielewicz will be warming the bench for rookie sensation Steve Mason. It is unlikely Dubie will see much playing time. During the season he started 2 games and appeared in 3 going 1-2-0 with an obese 3.56 goals against average and a sickly .870 save percentage.

#8 Anaheim: If it were not for a late trade the Ducks would not feature an FI, but alas they received center Petteri Nokelainen from the Bruins before the deadline. Noky played pretty well in his 17 games with the Ducks scoring 4 goals and adding 2 assists for 6 points. On the season the muscular winger had 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) on 50 games. Look for him to lead the Ducks' 3rd line in the first round of the playoffs.

Check back soon as we will be following all the matchups here at FIW.

Final Day of Regular Season: Sunday April 12

With the 2008-09 NHL regular season down to its last day there were 4 games still up for grabs yet nothing of major importance (i.e. playoff spots). With the remaining games a formality Former Islander involvement was relative low with FIs aiding in only 2 contests. Here is a recap:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 20 of 23 shots but it was not enough as the host Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Red Wings 3-0. Osgood, who started 44 games, finishes the season with a 26-9-8 record and less then stellar stats. Ozzie had an .887 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average to go along with 2 shutouts. As the Red Wings enter the playoffs their presumably #1 goalie, Ozzie, has lost 2 straight (0-1-1).


Philadelphia winger Arron Asham rounded out his season nicely with 2 assists as the Flyers were edged by the visiting New York Rangers 4-3. Ash ends the year with 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) on 78 games. For the 5th time in his career Asham has reached the 20+ plateau and the first since the 2006-07 season, Asham's last with the Isles. Ash snapped a 4 game point-less streak with only his 3rd multi-point game of the season.

Check back soon as FIW prepares for Lord Stanley's playoffs and the dreams of hockey glory for more than just a few Former Islanders.

Saturday April 11

The final Saturday of the 2008-09 NHL season was a frantic one with 26 teams battling in 13 (unlucky?) contests. Former Islanders aided in 6 of those games. Here is a quick look:

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo had another stellar game stopping all 22 shots he faced as the Canucks pulled off another 1-0 victory, this time over the host Colorado Avalanche and in OT. Lu finishes the season with a 33-13-7 record with an awesome .920 save percentage, a tidy 2.34 goals against average and a single season high 9 shutouts. While Luongo was injured for a large chunk of the season the 54 games the goalie did play in were often excellent.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly had another multi-point night scoring a goal and adding a powerplay assist as the Sabres thumped the visiting Boston Bruins, the best team in the East, 6-1. TimCo finishes the season with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his last 2 games and 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) on 48 - a near point-per-game pace. The helper was a big one as it was career #200 for Connolly coming in his 486th career game. More impressively is that despite playing in only 48 games TimCo sent a new single season high in goals scored.

Florida defenseman Bryan McCabe scored a powerplay goal and added an assist as the Panthers dispensed with the visiting Washington Capitals 7-4. McCabe finishes the season with 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points on 69 games. For the 5th time on his career Big Mc has notched 15+ goals and his 8th extra man goal of the season pushes his career total to 67. Assisting on the 4th Washington goal was forward Viktor Kozlov. He wraps up the season with 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points on 67 games and would foreseeable enter next season only 2 goals shy of 200 on his career.

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko assisted on the opening goal as the Penguins felled the host Montreal Canadiens 3-1. Fedo ends the regular season on a 3 game point streak (1 goal, 3 assists) and finishes with 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) on 65 games. The 39 points leaves Fedotenko 5th on the team in points scored. Netting the lone Habs' goal was d-man Roman Hamrlik who snapped a 10 game goal-less streak but has had 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) over the last 5 contests. Hamr ends the season with 6 goals and 27 assists for 33 points on 81 games.

Minnesota blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron scored his 3rd goal in the last 2 games as the Wild again thumped a competitor, this time the host Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3. MAB ends the year with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points on 72 games. Entering next season Bergeron is only 2 helpers shy of 200 assists on his career. The powerplay goal was the 7th of the season for MAB and the 36th of his career.


Calgary d-man Adrian Aucoin assisted on the first insurance goal as the Flames tore down the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-1. Aucoin snapped an 8 game point-less streak and ends the regular season with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) on 81 games only 1 point shy of his 35 point effort from the 2007-08 season, his first with the Flames.



Check in soon with FIW as we wrap up the regular season!

Friday April 10

There were 4 games on tap on the final Friday of the 2008-09 NHL season with Former Islanders stepping up to help in 3 of those match ups. Here is a quick summation of the FI action:

Minnesota defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron scored 2 goals, including the game winning powerplay tally, as the Wild crushed the visiting Nashville Predators 8-4. The netters snapped an 11 game goal-less streak and now gives MAB 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points on 71 games. The powerplay scored was his 6th this season with the extra man while the winner was his 3rd of the year and the 9th of his career.


Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov had a pair of assists on insurance goals as the Oilers thumped the visiting Calgary Flames 5-1. Greb has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 3 games and now has 7 goals and 32 assists for 39 points on 72 games. Greb has shined for the Oil and is 6th on the squad in points scored. Assisting on the lone Flames' goal was center Olli Jokinen. He has 2 assists over the last 2 games and now has 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points on 76 games. Despite putting up what appears to be an impressive 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 18 games with the Flames O-Jok has notched a point in only 8 of those contests and over that span the Flames have compiled a 7-11-0 record.

Anaheim forward Petteri Nokelainen assisted on his team's first goal as the Ducks pulled off a 4-3 SO win over the visiting Dallas Stars. Noky now has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) on 50 games but has stepped it up since joining Anaheim managing 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points on 17 games. Nokelainen has set a new single season high in helpers with 5 this season.


Check back soon for more updates and recaps as we approach the end of the regular season at FIW.

Thursday April 9

It was a ridiculously busy final Thursday to the 2008-09 NHL season as 22 teams faced off in 11 tilts. Former Islanders continue to help their teams out even if playoff mirages of the recent past have now disapated. FIs kicked in their efforts in 6 of those contests. Here is a quick look:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara scored the game tying powerplay goal early in the 3rd Period and added and powerplay assist to help lead the Bruins to a 5-4 OT win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Chara now has 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points on 80 games giving the giant blueliner his 2nd straight 50+ point campaign. His 19 goals (11 powerplay) both set new single season highs while his 17 extra man helpers equaled another high from the 2006-07 season, his first with the Bs. Scoring a powerplay goal for the Habs was d-man Mathieu Schneider. He has points in 7 straight games (2 goals, 5 assists) and now has 9 goals and 23 assists for 32 points on 66 games. In only 22 games with Montreal Schneids has notched 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists). He is now only 1 extra man score away from 100 on his career. Assisting on that goal was fellow blueliner Roman Hamrlik. With 4 assists over the last 4 contests Hamr now has 5 goals and 27 assists for 32 points on 81 games.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly notched 2 assists as the Sabres crushed the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. TimCo has 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) on 47 games reaching that mark for only the 3rd time on his career and first since the 2005-06 season. Connolly is now only 1 assist shy of 200 on his career. For the 13th time this season Connolly has recorded 2 or more points in a game.


Pittsburgh winger Bill Guerin scored an even strength goal against his most recent squad, the Isles, as the Penguins heartily trounced the visiting Blue & Orange 6-1. Billy G snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points on 77 games. Guerin has played well for the Pens recording 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in 17 games. Pittsburgh is now the 7th team that Guerin has scored 5 or more goals with in a season. Assisting on the first Pens' goal was winger Ruslan Fedotenko. With 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 2 games Fedo now has 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points on 64 games.

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 22 of 25 shots faced including 2 in OT but let 2 of 4 go in during the SO as the Nashville Predators edged the host Red Wings 4-3. Ozzie is now 26-8-8 on the season snapping a mini-2 game winning streak. The 8 OT losses sets a new single season high for Osgood who has been subpar, at best, this season yet has an impressive record due to the excellence of both the Wings' offense and their impressive blueline.

Dallas Stars' winger Mark Parrish scored a goal as they eked by the host Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in a SO. The netter snapped a 4 game point-less streak and an 11 game goal-less streak for the spotty forward. Parrish now has 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points on 44 games.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was unbeatable stopping all 20 shots he faced as the Canucks edged the visiting Los Angeles Kings 1-0. The victory was the 2nd straight for Lu who is now 32-13-7 on the season. The goose egg was his 8th of the season, a new single season high for the highly prized backstopper surpassing his 7 blankings from 2003-04 season while with the Florida Panthers.

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