Tuesday April 7

So the final Tuesday of the 2008-09 NHL season was a wild one with 26 teams facing off in 13 high energy contests. For some teams these matchups could mean the difference between still being in the playoff hunt or even moving up or down in playoff positions. Here is a look at the Former Islander contributions which spanned 6 tilts:

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov scored a goal as the Capitals doubled up on the host Atlanta Thrashers for a 4-2 win. With his 3rd point (1 goal, 2 assists) in the last 3 games Kozlov has pushed his stats up. The netter snapped a 7 game goal-less streak. Kozzer now has 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points on 64 games.



Toronto forward Jeff Hamilton scored the game winning goal midway through the opening period as the Maple Leafs thumped the host New Jersey Devils 4-1. Hammy snapped a 3 game point-less streak and a 7 game goal-less streak and now has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) on 15 games. The game winner was the 1st of the season for Hamilton and the 6th of his career making it 3 straight seasons with at least one winner. Assisting on the first insurance goal was winger Jason Blake. Blakey now has 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points on 74 games. For only the 2nd time on his career Blake has reached the 60+ point mark. He is only 2 points shy of career #400.

Boston defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara had a powerplay goal with only 9 seconds remaining in the 2nd Period but all was for naught as the Bruins fell to the host Ottawa Senators 3-2. The goal was a big one for Chara as it was his 18th of the season setting a new single season high for the offensively gifted blueliner. Chara now has 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points on 79 games. His 10th powerplay score of the season also equals a prior single season high from his 2005-06 campaign with the Sens.

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored a goal and added an assist on the game winner as the Penguins downed the host Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. Fedo now has 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points on 63 games. For the 2nd straight season and 7th time on his career Fedotenko has recorded 15+ goals. For only the 4th time Fedo has reached the 35+ point mark. Over the last 5 games he has been particularly effective with 8 points on 3 goals and 5 assists.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov assisted on the lone Oilers' goal as they were felled by the visiting Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Greb now has 7 goals and 30 assists for 37 points on 70 games. He has reached the 30 assist mark for the first time on a season and each point has pushed his single season highs up.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo had a fabulous game stopping 46 of 47 shots, a literal barrage, as the Canucks downed the visiting rival Calgary Flames 4-1. Luongo snapped a 3 game winless streak and is now 31-13-7 on the season with a 2.43 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Assisting on the lone Flames' goal was center Olli Jokinen. O-Jok snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points on 74 games. In 17 games with the Flames Jokinen has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) but has been wildly inconsistent recording points in only 6 of those contests.

Check back soon with FIW as we wind down the regular season and prepare for the playoff push.

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.

Tuesday March 24

There were 8 games up in the air on Tuesday night as we trudge along in the late playoff push. Former Islanders were helping out in important games lending their support in 4 of those tilts. Here is a quick peek:

Toronto winger Jason Blake notched a powerplay assist on the Maple Leafs' 2nd goal but missed on his attempt in the 2nd round of the SO as they eked by the visiting Washington Capitals 2-1. Blakey now has 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points on 70 games. Over the last 7 games Blake has been consistent with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points. Scoring in the 1st round of the SO for the Leafs was center Jeff Hamilton.


Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had the secondary helper on the opening goal as the Canadiens spanked the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 6-3. Schneider now has 7 goals and 19 assists for 26 points on 60 games. Since re-joining the Habs Schneids has been great with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on 16 games.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo got back into the winning swing of things stopping 35 of 37 shots as the Canucks downed the host Dallas Stars 5-2. With his 5th win in the last 6 games Lu is now 28-10-6 on the season with a 9.18 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average with 6 shutouts. Over the last 21 games Luongo has been impressive with a 17-3-1 record more than doubling his wins on the season since returning from an early November injury.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov opened the scoring with only 71 seconds remaining in the 1st Period as the Oilers were edged by the visiting Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Greb snapped a 19 game goal-less streak and now has 5 goals and 28 assists for 33 points on 63 games. Grebeshkov has now notched 5 goals for the first time in a season. Receiving the primary assist on the too-little-too-late goal with exactly 1 minute remaining in play was winger Robert Nilsson. With 5 assists over the last 4 games Nily now has 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists) on 59 games.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Tuesday March 17

It was a Happy St. Patrick's Day for 11 teams as there were a boatload of beer-fueled games around the NHL on Tuesday. With Monday's 2 games a wash for Former Islander action we received a with FIs posting their help in 8 games on St. Patty's Day. Here is a look at the plethora of FI contributions:

Toronto winger Jason BLake notched a goal and added an asssist as the Maple Leafs came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the host Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in SO. Blake has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over the last 4 games and now has 23 goals and 32 assists for 56 points on 67 games. For the 4th time Blake has reached the 55+ point mark surpassing his 52 point effort from his first season with the Leafs. Center Jeff Hamilton scored a goal with about 5 and a half minutes remaining in regulation to tie the score and then popped home a goal in the 1st Round of the 6 Round SO. Later in the frame (3rd Round) Blake missed on his attempt. Hammy has goals in 2 straight games and now has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) on 7 games. The point was career #75 coming in his 149th game which means Hamilton is a point-per-every-2-games kind of player.

Pittsburgh winger Bill Guerin had an assist on his team's first goal as the Penguins crushed visiting Atlanta Thrashers 6-2. Guerin has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 2 games and now has an impressive 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 7 games since joining the Pens. Billy G has 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) on 68 games. For the 10th time on his career Guerin has reached the 45 point level.


Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had an assist on the Canadiens' first goal as the Habs were edged by the visiting New York Rangers 4-3 in SO. Schneids now has 7 goals and 18 assists for 25 points on 57 games. Since re-joining Montreal he has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on 14 games. Eight of those points (3 goals, 5 assists) have been with the extra man. For the 17th time on his career Schneider has notched 25 or more points.


Recently refreshed goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 24 of 26 shots for another win as the host Detroit Red Wings downed the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2. With 3 straight wins Ozzie is now 23-6-7 on the season with a 3.14 goals against average and an .884 save percentage. He has stopped 77 of the last 81 shots he has faced for a recent save percentage of .951 while surrendering only 4 goals for a slim 1.33 goals against average.


Washington d-man John Erskine had 2 assists including 1 on the shorthanded game winner as the Capitals blanked the host Florida Panthers 3-0. Erskine snapped a 31 game point-less streak with the helpers and now has 4 assists on 44 games this season. The 2 point night was a first for Erskine since December 10, 2007 during his 2nd season with the Caps. Notching the first insurance goal for the Caps was forward Viktor Kozlov. He snapped a 3 game point-less streak and an 11 game goal-less streak with the netter. He now has 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points on 57 games. Kozzer is only 3 goals shy of career #200.


Winger Ryan Smyth scored the Avalanche's 2nd goal as Colorado was toppled by the host Minnesota Wild 3-2 in SO. Smyth now has 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points on 71 games. Eight times this season Smyth has scored goals in consecutive games.



Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 24 of 26 shots as the Canucks doubled up on the visiting Dallas Stars for a 4-2 victory. Lu is an unbelievable 15-2-1 over his last 18 starts and is now 26-9-6 on the season. He has won 3 straight games, his 3rd winning streak of this 18 game stretch which has also including 4 and 8 game streaks. He has been even more consistent in these last 3 games surrendering exactly 2 goals-per-game while his team has staked him to consecutive 4-2 wins.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov had a powerplay assist on the opening goal midway through the 1st Period as the Oilers slipped by the visiting St. Louis Blues 2-1 in SO. Greb has 5 assists over the last 6 games and now has 4 goals and 27 assists for 31 points on 59 games pushing his single season highs further and further up. For the first time on a season Greb has 10 powerplay points (1 goal, 9 assists).


Check back soon for more updates and highlights at FIW.

Saturday March 14

There were an unbelievable 26 teams in action on Saturday as 13 games raged around the NHL during this final push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Former Islanders were no lightweights putting up their efforts in 8 of those contests. Here is a quick peek at the FI action:

Philadelphia winger Arron Asham had his yearly 2 goal against the New York Rangers as the host Flyers downed the Blueshirts 4-2. Ash scored goals about 9 minutes apart in the 3rd Period including the game winner and the insurance tally to notch the first star honor. Asham snapped a 6 game goal-less streak. He has 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points on 63 games. The winner was Asham's 1st of the season and the 7th of his career. The goal snapped a 97 game streak without a winner dating back to December 16, 2007.

Boston defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara recorded an assist on the game winning goal as the Bruins edged the visiting Isles 2-1. Chara has 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 15 games against the Islanders. He now has 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points on 70 games.




Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 30 of 32 shots for the win as the Red Wings thumped the host St. Louis Blues 5-2. Ozzie is 2-0-1 in his last 3 starts and is now 21-6-7 on the season.






Ottawa center Mike Comrie rocketed home the game winning goal in the 5th round of the SO as the Senators eked by the host Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4. Teammate Chris Campoli knotted the score at 1 in the 1st Period with his 9th of the season. Since joining the Sens Campoli has 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) on 11 games. He has 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) on 62 games this year reaching the 25 point plateau for only the 2nd time. Campy also tied his single season goal high. Both the 25 point mark and the 9 goals were highs set during his rookie 2005-06 campaign. Opening the scoring was Pens tough guy Eric Godard with a rare offensive effort. Godard now has 2 goals and 1 assists for 3 points on 63 games. The 2 tallies equals his prior single season high from 2005-06 while still an Isle. The netter snapped a 34 game goal-less and point-less stretch. It took only 263 career games but Godard has recorded 5 goals.

Recently acquired center Olli Jokinen lit it up for the Flames with a hat trick and 2 assists for 5 points but the goaltending was horrendous as Calgary fell 8-6 to the host Toronto Maple Leafs in a score-a-thon. With his 2nd hat trick in his last 10 games Jokinen now has 29 goals and 23 assists for 52 points on 56 games. He has reached the 50+ point mark for the 6th straight season. Since joining the Flames O-Jok has been out-of-this-world with 10 points (8 goals, 2 assists) on 6 games yet Calgary is 2-4-0 in that span. The last time Jokinen has 5+ points on a game was March 17, 2007 when he had 6 (2 goals, 4 assists) against the Isles while still the star center for the Florida Panthers. Notching 3 assists, including 2 on Jokinen goals, was d-man Adrian Aucoin. He has 4 assists over the last 2 games and now has 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points on 69 games. For the 2nd straight season Aucoin has reached the 20+ assist level and the 30+ point barrier. The assist mark makes has been reached in 6 seasons at 20 or more while the 30 point mark has been broken in 7 seasons. The 3 point night was a first for Aucoin since March 3, 2001 when he had 4 assists during his brief tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning! Winger Jason Blake notched a powerplay goal for the Leafs that staked them to an early 2-0 lead. Blake now has 23 goals and 31 assists for 54 points on 66 games. The powerplay goal was his 4th of the season doubling his extra man output from his first season with Toronto. Scoring his first goal since returning to the NHL was center Jeff Hamilton. He has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 6 games with the Leafs. The goal was Hammy's first since March 28, 2008 while still with the Carolina Hurricanes. The tally snapped a 7 game goal-less stretch.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly was stopped on his attempt in the 2nd of 4 SO rounds as the Sabres were edged by the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 4-3. TimCo has only 1 assist over the last 4 games and is mired in a mini-slump.





Washington center Viktor Kozlov was stopped on his attempt in the 1st round of the SO but all was righted as the Capitals felled the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 5-4.






Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson opened the scoring only 3:09 in to regulation as the Oilers were downed by the visiting Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in OT. Nilsson has goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season and now has 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points on 54 games. The last time Nily had goals in consecutive contests was between December 5 and 7, 2007 in his first full season with the Oil.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Monday March 9

With 3 games on the NHL sked on Monday things looked to be lean for Former Islanders. Alas, FIs stood up and provided their help in all 3 tilts. Here is a quick peek:

New York Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette stopped 33 of 35 shots as the Blueshirts were felled by the host Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Vali gave is a valiant effort but all was for naught as he took the loss falling to 5-5-0 on the season. He raised his save percentage to .910 while dropping his goals against average to 2.77. Valiquette has not won since January 27 going 0-2-0 in 2 starts.


Recently acquired center Jeff Hamilton assisted on the Maple Leafs' lone goal as Toronto was edged by the host Ottawa Senators 2-1. Hammy has 2 assists on 3 games since being acquired by the Leafs late last week. He has taken 8 shots to no avail.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo lost for only the 2nd time in his last 14 starts as the Los Angeles Kings eked by the visiting Canucks 3-2. Lu stopped 19 of 22 shots but it was not enough. He is now 23-9-5 on the season with a .916 save percentage, a 2.45 goals against average and 5 shutouts. Notching the 'Nucks' 2nd goal was winger Taylor Pyatt. T-Py snapped a 9 game goal-less and point-less stretch and now has 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points on 57 games. For the 3rd straight year and 7th time on his career Pyatt has reached 15 or more points.

Check back soon with more updates, scores and recaps at FIW.

Thursday March 1

There were 9 games on tap Thursday night as the league was re-shuffled a little bit following Wednesday's trade deadline. A few players made splashes with their new squads including a new signing of Former Islander note. Here is a look at the FI night:

Forward Jeff Hamilton, who just signed early in the day with the Maple Leafs, assisted in his first game back at the NHL level kicking in a helper on the game winner as Toronto edged the host Washington Capitals 2-1. Hamilton had not played since April, 2008 while still a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. The last time Hammy had recorded a point was March 28 while his last helper was on March 19. This helper snapped a 5 game assist-less streak. Hamilton joins winger Jason Blake as Toronto's resident FIs.

Center Olli Jokinen made a huge entry for his new team the day after being traded from Phoenix to Calgary. Jokinen scored 2 goals, including the game winner, to lead the Flames to a 5-1 win over the host Philadelphia Flyers. O-Jok took no time to gel with wingers Michael Cammalleri and Jarome Iginla on the team's top line. Jokinen now has 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points on 58 games. Over the last 5 games he has recorded 7 points on 6 goals and 1 assist. The game winner was Jokinen's 3rd of the season. Assisting on the capstone goal late in the 3rd Period was defenseman Adrian Aucoin. After going point-less in 4 games Aucoin now has 2 assists over the past 2 outings. He has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points on 64 games.

Ottawa d-man Chris Campoli netted his first goal as a Senator, a powerplay game winner, as the Sens outpaced the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-2. In 6 games with Ottawa Campy has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists). He now has 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points on 57 games. The powerplay tally was his first of the season but the game winner was his 3rd of the year setting a new single season high. Scoring the 2nd Ottawa goal was center Mike Comrie. He now has 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points on 47 games. For the 4th straight season and 6th Comrie has recorded 25 or more points. Assisting on Edmonton's first goal, a powerplay tally, was recently returned d-man Denis Grebeshkov. Since returning from a minor injury, Greb has 2 assists in 3 games. He now has 4 goals and 23 assists for 27 points on 54 games. With each goal and assist Grebeshkov continues to push his single season high even higher. He has 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists) this season on the man advantage.

Playing in his first game with the Penguins since being trade on Wednesday winger Bill Guerin instantly made a difference assisting on Pittsburgh's first goal as they thumped the host Florida Panthers 4-1. Guerin now has 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points on 62 games. The assist was a landmark one for Guerin who now has 800 career points (403 goals, 397 assists). Number 800 came in career game #1,169. Assisting on the final goal was winger Ruslan Fedotenko. With 3 assists in the last 4 games, Fedo now has 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points on 49 games. Notable FIs not are the Pens' roster were winger Miroslav Satan who was sent down to the team's AHL affiliate Scranton-Wilkes Barre Penguins and healthy scratch winger Eric Godard.

Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron had the primary assist on the Wild's first goal late in the 2nd Period as the Wild rallied from a 3-0 deficit to down the host San Jose Sharks 4-3 in OT. Bergeron has 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points on 53 games. For the 4th time on a season MAB has recorded 25 or more points.



Dallas winger Mark Parrish assisted on his team's 2nd goal as the Stars were edged by the host Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in OT. Parrish snapped a 6 game point-less streak and an 8 game assist-less streak with the helper. He now has 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points on 39 games. Albeit a minor accomplishment, Parrish has recorded 5+ assists for the 10th straight season.


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

UFA Signing: Jeff Hamilton

The Toronto Maple Leafs inked unrestricted free agent forward Jeff Hamilton to a contract on Thursday. The terms of the deal are not known. Update: Hamilton signed for the league minimum ($475K) and will pull in just over $100K if he plays out the last 18 games of the season with Toronto.

Hamilton had spent the season with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, the Atlanta Thrasher's minor league team, scoring 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) on 50 games.

A 142 game veteran, Hamilton has 29 goals and 42 assists for 71 points. An undrafted signee of the Isles, Hamilton made his appearance with the Blue & Orange during the 2003-04 season. Hammy wound his way to the Chicago Blackhawks where he had a breakout season during the 2006-07 campaign and eventually the Carolina Hurricanes who dropped him this past summer only 1 year into a 2 year deal.

We wish Jeff the best with the Leafs.