2009-10 Season Kickoff Half-Week

With a tight start to the season cram-packed with games from Thursday October 1 to Saturday October 3 things were exciting for Former Islanders, some in new locales, some comfortable in familiar surroundings. Here is a quick look:

Pittsburgh Penguin wingers Ruslan Fedotenko and Bill Guerin are the FIs of the week after having a fabulous start each receiving 2 points in their first 2 games. Fedotenko had a goal and an assist in the Pens 4-3 SO win over the Isles on Saturday including netting the tying goal. Guerin split assists over the Pens' first 2 games to notch a point-per-contest. Staying with Pittsburgh may pay off big dividends for the two two-time Stanley Cup winners.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo bombed his first week surrendering 7 goals on 49 shots between those two contests notching and 0-2-0 record with a 3.53 goals against average and an abysmal .857 goals against average. If the Canucks are to succeed it will be on the heals of Bobby Lu and vice versa.

Speaking of goalies Detroit's 1A backstopper Chris Osgood had a less than spectacular start surrendering 4 goals on 23 shots in his first start. He has an 0-1-0, an .826 save percentage and a 4.06 goals against average. Do you hear that ticking sound? It is the impending end of Ozzie's illustrious career.

Speaking of Red Wing washups, winger Todd Bertuzzi notched an assist for 1 point in 2 Detroit games over the opening weekend. Inane fact: Bert now has 370 assists on 826 games.

And to return to the Northwest let us look at a pair of FI centers. Calgary's own Olli Jokinen looked clueless notching only 1 assist on 2 games. He is going to have to step it up if the Flames are going to succeed. Surprise, surprise coming from Mike Comrie. The Brick notched 1 helper in Edmonton's lone weekend game, not surprisingly against the Flames. The born-again Oiler is looking to overcome his absolute awfulness that nearly destroyed his career last season.

For a much more impressive debut than any other FI we can give a head nod to Los Angeles winger Ryan Smyth who notched 2 powerplay assists in his first game as a King. Smyth received the 3rd star honor despite the fact that the host Kings were crushed heartily. It looks like Anze Kopitar may have found a new best friend.

In the "a Norris Trophy does not make you special" category we have Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara who wowed with 1 assist in 2 games. Way to go Big Z... no sarcasm at all.

Now to a more memorable FI defenseman, John Erskine. The blueliner had 1 assist in 2 games equaling Chara's excellence.

Oh and let us not forget Roman Hamrlik who notched a shorthanded helper in Montreal's lone weekend game. The shortie assist was Hamr's first since January 7.

While we are still in the Northeast let us peak in on two high-flying FIs. Buffalo center Tim Connolly notched a powerplay goal in his first game of the season. Way to go TimCo! Also helping out with the man advantage was Toronto winger Jason Blake who had 1 powerplay helper in 2 games.

Check in next week as we recap the FI events from Monday October 5 to Sunday October 11 here 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday March 28

With the playoff pressure on Former Islander contributions have mysteriously tailed off. FIs helped out in only 4 of 11 contests on Saturdays continuing a recent streak of disappointing happenings. Here is a look at the slow FI day in question:

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko had a nice game tallying a goal and adding 2 assists, including the lone helper on the game winner, as the Penguins edged the visiting New York Rangers 4-3. Fedo earned the 1st star for his 3 point effort, his 2nd of the season. Tank snapped a 9 game point-less streak and a 15 game goal-less stretch with the points and now has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points on 59 games. Fedotenko has now had 30+ points in 6 straight seasons and 7 times on his 8 year career.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly had yet another good game scoring an unassisted powerplay goal and adding an assist on the game tying goal as the Sabres dumped the host Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in the SO. Connolly had a chance in the 1st of 6 rounds of the SO but was stopped on his attempt by Habs' goaltender Carey Price. With 2 points in each of his last 3 games Connolly is riding a point streak that has seen him notch 4 goals and 2 assists. TimCo failed to score the game winner for a 3rd straight game but was recognized for his effort with the 2nd star honor. He now has 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points on 41 games. Assisting on Montreal's 3rd goal which led to short-lived 3-2 lead was defenseman Mathieu Schneider. The netter, a powerplay score gave Montreal the advantage late in the 2nd Period. With an assist in each of the last 3 games Schneids now has 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points on 62 games. Since joining the Habs Schneider has played impressively with 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) in 18 games including 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on the man advantage.

Toronto winger Jason Blake had 2 assists as the Maple Leafs were felled in a home-based score-a-thon 7-5 to the Boston Bruins. Blake has had 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 4 games and now has 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points on 72 games. The diminutive winger is only 2 points shy of career #400. For the 2nd straight season Blakey has notched 35+ assists and is only 3 short of surpassing his single season best from last season. For only the 2nd time in his career, and first since the 2006-07 season, his last with the Isles, Blake has reached the 60+ point plateau. With one powerplay helper Blake has kicked his new single season high even further up to 13.

Back for only the 2nd game since suffering an injury on March 1 winger Todd Bertuzzi already began helping out. Bert had an assist on Calgary's 2nd goal as the Flames eked by the visiting Minnesota Wild 3-2. He now has 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points on 59 games. Receiving the secondary helper on the game winning goal was center Olli Jokinen. He snapped a 3 game point-less streak after a fiery (pardon the pun) start with the Flames. O-Jok now has 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points on 69 games. Since joining Calgary Jokinen has 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in 12 games. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has managed 55 or more points.

Check back with FIW soon for more recaps, highlights and updates during this playoff push.

Friday March 20

With the weeks lest in the 2008-09 NHL regular season winding down it is bittersweet for Former Islander Watch as we begin our goodbyes to another impressive FI season. Friday night saw 7 games with FIs chipping in their help in 5 of those contests. Here is a peek:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 31 of 34 shots for 4th straight win as the Red Wings doubled up on the host Atlanta Thrashers for a 6-3 victory. Ozzie has looked sharp letting in only 7 goals over this 4 game span including a shutout. He is now 24-6-7 on the season with an .885 save percentage and a 3.14 goals against average. Osgood has looked better in the last 4 games than he has had in the whole rest of the season. The 4 consecutive wins marks the longest winning streak of the season for Ozzie.

Tough Philadelphia winger Arron Asham had an assist on his team's 3rd goal as the Flyers pulled out a 6-4 road win over the Buffalo Sabres. Ash now has 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points on 66 games. The helper was a big one as it was career point #150 for Asham coming in his 564th career game. For the 5th time on his career Asham has reached 15 or more points, his first since the 2006-07 campaign, his last with the Isles. Center Tim Connolly had an assist on Buffalo's 1st goal as the forward is mired in a slump with only 2 points in the last 6 games. TimCo now has 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points on 37 games. For the 2nd straight season and 6th time on his career he has notched 20+ helpers.

Winger Bill Guerin notched the final insurance goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins thumped the visiting Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Billy G has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over the last 3 games and now has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on 8 games with the Pens. On the season Guerin has 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points on 70 games having already surpassed his 44 point, 81 game effort from last season with the Isles.


Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov recorded the primary powerplay assist on the game opening goal only 3:12 into play as the Oilers pulled out a 5-4 SO victory over the host Chicago Blackhawks. Ever point keeps pushing Greb's single season high even higher. He now has 4 goals and 28 assists for 32 points on 61 games. For the first time ever Grebeshkov has recorded 10 assists on the powerplay during a season. Assisting on Edmonton's 4th goal was winger Robert Nilsson. He has 4 assists over the last 2 games and now has 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points on 57 games.

Calgary center Olli Jokinen notched 2 assists but the Flames continued their tailspin losing 3-2 to the visiting St. Louis Blues. Since joining the Flames they have compiled a 3-5-0 record. Jokinen, however, has been impressive with 12 points (8 goals, 4 assists) on only 8 games. On the season he has 29 goals and 25 assists for 54 points on 65 games. For the 6th straight season O-Jok has notched 25+ helpers.

Check in soon for more recaps and updates 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.

Thursday March 12

There were a whopping 13 games on the schedule on Thursday night with Former Islanders aiding in an impressive 7 contests. FIs are trying to push their respective teams into the playoff fray as March speeds away. Here is a look at their efforts:

Calgary's top center, Olli Jokinen, scored 2 goals in regulation and capped the game off with the deciding goal in the SO as the Flames edged the host Detroit Red Wings 6-5. O-Jok was of course recognized with the first star honor for his outstanding effort. In 5 games since being traded to the Flames Jokinen has scored 5 goals. On the season he has 47 points (26 goals, 21 assists) on 62 games. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has notched 25 or more goals. Assisting on Calgary's 2nd goal was defenseman Adrian Aucoin. With the helper he snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points on 68 games.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly assisted on his team's opening goal only 3:04 into play as the Sabres downed the visiting Florida Panthers 3-1. Ending a mini-2 game slide, Connolly has 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points on 34 games. In a fraction of the time of his teammates, TimCo has moved up to a tie for 6th on the Sabres in scoring. He is currently tied with winger Ales Kotalik in every scoring category yet has played 22 less games than him.

Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on the Maple Leafs' lone goal as they were bested by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Blake has had assists in back-to-back games and now has 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points on 65 games. Blake is only 9 points shy of career #400 and could foreseeable reach the feat by the close of the season.



Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson scored his team's 3rd goal as the Oilers were downed by the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 4-3 in OT. Nily snapped a painfully long 15 game goal-less streak and an 8 game point-less streak with the tally. Nilsson had not found the back of the net since January 27. He now has 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points on 53 games. The goal was the 25th of Nilsson's young career coming in his 181st game. Assisting on the first Oilers' goal was d-man Denis Grebeshkov. He has helpers in 4 straight games and now has 30 points (4 goals, 26 assists) on 57 games. Greb has reached the 30+ point plateau for the first time on his career and keeps setting his single season bar higher and higher with each point he racks up.

Montreal d-man Mathieu Schneider had an assist against one of his old squads as the Canadiens fell to the visiting Isles 3-2 in OT. Schneider assisted on the game tying goal just over 9 minutes in to the 3rd Period. In 11 games since coming back to Montreal, Schneids has 9 points on 3 goals and 6 assists. On 55 games this season, Schneider has 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points.


Boston captain and d-man Zdeno Chara had a shorthanded helper on the opening goal only 3:17 in to play as the Bruins dispensed with the visiting Ottawa Senators 5-3. Chara has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over his last 3 games and now has 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points on 69 games. For the 6th straight season Chara has notched 25 or more assists. The shortie helper was the 2nd of the season for Chara and the 16th of his career.

Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron scored the lone Wild goal, a powerplay netter, midway through the 1st Period as they fell to the host Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in a SO. Bergeron snapped a 4 game goal-less stretch and now has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points on 57 games. For the 3rd time on his career MAB has netted 10+ goals. Half his goals this season (5) have come on the man advantage.

Check in soon with FIW for more updates and recaps.

Tuesday March 10

There were 11 games on the NHL schedule as we are already a third of the way through March. The playoff push is strong for a ton of teams around the league and Former Islanders are helping out when they can. FIs tipped in their support in 6 of those contests. Here is a look:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres netted yet another game winner as the Blue Jackets blanked the free-falling host Boston Bruins 2-0. Torres now has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points on 36 games with 3 game winners this season. Over the last 4 games Torres has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) including 2 deciding tallies. The 3 game winners ties his prior single season high from the 2003-04 and 2005-06 campaigns while still with the Edmonton Oilers.

Calgary center Olli Jokinen popped home the opening goal as the Flames were downed by the host New Jersey Devils 3-2. Calgary would have lost 3-1 if it had not been for a 2nd Flames' goal at the 19:59 mark of the 3rd Period. Jokinen 24 goals and 21 assists for 45 points on 61 games this season. In 4 games with the Flames O-Jok has knocked home 3 goals and no assists. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has recorded 45 or more points.

Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had 2 assists including 1 on the game winning powerplay goal in OT as the Canadiens edged the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Schneids now has 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points on 54 games. Schneider snapped a 3 game point-less streak and has done well in his first 10 games with the Habs compiling 8 points on 3 goals and 5 assists. Six of his 8 points with Montreal (3 goals, 3 assists) have come with the man advantage. Assisting on Edmonton's 3rd goal was d-man Denis Grebeshkov. He now has assists in 3 straight games and has notched 29 points (4 goals, 25 assists) on 56 games. The helper officially marked Greb's first 25+ assist season. For the 3rd time this season Grebeshkov has had a 3+ game point scoring streak.

Offensively capable blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron had an assist on the Wild's first goal as Minnesota was just barely downed by the visiting San Jose Sharks 5-4 in OT. Bergeron now has 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points on 56 games. MAB is only 3 helpers short of 100 on his career. The helper snapped an 8 game assist-less stretch.



Washington forward Viktor Kozlov had assists on both Capitals' goals including the game winning tally in OT as they squeaked by the host Nashville Predators 2-1. Kozlov, who struggled with injuries during most of February, recorded a point for the first time since February 1 snapping a 6 game point drought. The Russian giant now has 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points on 54 games. It was the 8th time this season the Kozzer has had a multi-point game.

Newly acquired winger Bill Guerin assisted on the the Penguins' tying goal 5 and a half minutes into the 3rd Period as Pittsburgh overcame a 2 goal deficit for a 4-3 SO win over the visiting Florida Panthers. Guerin is riding a 4 game point streak in which he has recorded 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists). He has points in all 3 games since joining the Pens to the tune of 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists). On 64 games this season Billy G has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists). The assist was a big one for Guerin as it was career #400, this only 2 games after recording his 800th career point. Florida winger Richard Zednik was stopped on his chance in the 1st round of the SO.

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