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!

Late-August Becomes Pre-Season

Realizing that one has been lax to one's blogging requirements is daunting knowledge. As school, work and life role on here in Orange County Former Islander Watch has suffered. Here is the end of summer update featuring news so old it cannot truly be called "new":

Defensive veteran and living fossil Mathieu "Coelecanth" Schneider signed a deal with the Vancouver Canucks on August 28. Schneids, who scored 32 points (9 goals, 23 assists) in 67 games last season between the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens will join his 9th team and 5th in the last 4 seasons. It is believed that Schneider signed a 1 year, $1.55 million deal. Best of luck Mathieu!

On September 2 goaltender Roberto Luongo signed a 12 year contract extension with the Canucks essentially ending all trade rumors involving the stud backstopper. Bobby Lu is all but guaranteed to be a 'Nuck for the rest of his playing career. The deal will net Luongo $7.5 million this year and about $80 million over the life of the contract at an average of $6.75 million per year but an exceedinly generous $10 million next year. Congratulations Roberto... wow!

That same day winger Taylor Pyatt said his final goodbyes to Vancouver and joined the Phoenix Coyotes (a.k.a. the Hamilton Blackberries) on a 1 year deal for an amount yet to be announced. The winger has 19 points (10 goals, 9 assists) last season with the 'Nucks in 69 games before sitting out the last part of the season and a portion of the playoffs due to the untimely passing of his fiance. We wish Taylor the best as he finds a home far from the colder confines of Long Island, Buffalo or Vancouver.

Center Mike Duff nee Comrie signed a 1 year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, a former squad, on September 10. Comrie struggled last season with a meager 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) on 63 games between the Isles and Ottawa Senators. The deal is believed to $1.125 million... that should buy a lot of Hilary Duff cds. Congratulations Mike... Hope you find your touch again!

FI camp invitees include: winger Mitch Fritz with Phoenix, winger Mike York with the Florida Panthers, winger Mark Parrish with the Canucks, winger Kip Brennan with the Oilers, a shortlived relationship with center Shawn Bates and the Colorado Avalanche that has already ended... more as they are discovered.

More transactions when they pop back to memory... Thanks for reading.

Sunday May 10 and Monday May 11

Finally caught up, Former Islander Watch is now covering Sunday and Mondays contests. FIs were involved in both Sunday games and both Monday games as the 2nd round series start wrapping up. Here is a look at the FI action:

Sunday

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood did not have much to face as the Red Wings defense stepped up allowing only 17 shots on goal with only 1 slipping passed the goalie as the Wings thumped the visiting Anaheim Ducks to snatch a 3-2 series lead. Ozzie has played a pretty excellent 9 games going 7-2 on the playoffs with a slim 1.97 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. It has been a tale of 2 seasons for Osgood who struggled through the regular season but has found top form in the postseason.

Somebody finally found Zdeno Chara. The Boston captain and defenseman made an appearance notching 2 assists as the Bruins blanked the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The win kept the much favored Bruins alive as the 'Canes hold onto a 3-2 series lead. Chara assisted on the powerplay game winner at the 14:48 mark of the 1st Period and the Bs' 3rd goal early in the 2nd. The helpers snapped a 5 game point-less streak for the giant on skates. Chara now has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) on 9 playoff games.

Monday

Washington center Viktor Kozlov led his team with 2 big goals as the Capitals staved off elimination with a 5-4 OT win over the host Pittsburgh Penguins. The series, predicted by Caps' owner Ted Leonsis to be a "classic" in the making, has lived up to the billing. Despite being outshot 42 to 24 the Capitals persevered on timely goals including the 2 tallies but 1st star Kozlov. He snapped a 3 game point-less stretch and now has 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) on 13 games. Winger Bill Guerin opened the scoring only 5:55 into the 1st Period. Billy G now has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 12 games.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was embarrassed surrendering 7 goals on 30 shots as the host Chicago Blackhawks shocked the Canucks with a 7-5 win. The victory sealed the series for the 'Hawks 4-2 and makes them the first team to advance to the Conference Finals round. The Blackhawks were down 5-4 with only 7:45 remaining in play before they busted out 3 goals in a span of 3:17 to seal the victory. Lu was helpless dropping his 4th loss in his last 5 starts. After a 5 game win streak to start the playoffs the wheels for else for Luongo who finished the postseason with a 6-4 record, a 2.52 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. The 7 goals against was a single game postseason worst for the usually solid backstopper.

Check in soon as we continue to track the 2nd round series as they wind down.

Saturday May 9

It was another sweep on Saturday as Former Islanders stepped up in both games. Here is a look at the FI happenings:

There was another trio of FI scoring as the Washington-Pittsburgh series clunks along. Winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored only 51 seconds into the 3rd Period as the Penguins overcame a late Capitals for a 4-3 OT win. With the win the Pens take a strangehold 3-2 series lead. Fedo score for the 3rd straight game for the 3rd time in his playoff career and first since May 18-22, 2004 while with the future Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning. Fedo now has 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points on 11 games. Also aiding the Pens' cause was winger Miroslav Satan who assisted on the opening goal early in the 2nd Period. With 2 assists in the last 2 games Satan now has 2 points on 5 playoff games. Notching a helper on Washington's first goal was defenseman Tom Poti. Snapping a 5 game point-less streak since his big 4 point night against his former New York Rangers in the first round, Poti now has 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points on 12 games.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped only 26 of 29 shots as the visiting Chicago Blackhawks doubled up on the Canucks for a 4-2 win and a massive 3-2 series lead. Lu lost for the 3rd time in his last 4 starts and is now 6-3 on the playoffs despite a goals against average a shade above 2.00.



Check back soon with FIW for more recaps.

Thursday May 7 and Friday 8

We continue to try and catch up here at Former Islander Watch and are now setting our sights to Thursday May 7 and Friday May 8. FIs helped out in the 2 Thursday night matchups but only 1 of the 2 Friday night pairings. Here is a brief look:

Thursday

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo played well but the Canucks fell fate to a timely Chicago goal as the host Blackhawks edged the 'Nucks 2-1 in OT. The series is now even at 2 wins apiece. After winning 5 straight to start the postseason Lu has now dropped 2 of his last 3 games for a 6-2 record.




Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood played well stopping 25 of 28 shots as the Red Wings crushed the host Anaheim Ducks to even their series at 2-2. Ozzie is now 6-2 on the postseason snapping a 2 game losing streak that gave the Ducks a short-lived series lead.




Friday

A trio of FIs helped out the Penguins as Pittsburgh got past the visiting Washington Capitals 5-3 to even their series as 2-2. The highlight of the night, however, was the return to the boxscore of winger Miroslav Satan who was playing in only his 4th game this postseason after spending the last 17 games on the NHL regular season in the minors at the Pens' AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Penguins. Satan last scored a point on March 1 snapping a 4 game point-less stretch. He also snapped a 3 game playoff point-less streak dating back to April 20, 2007 when the Isles played in the first round against the Buffalo Sabres. Satan received the primary assist on the game winning goal just over 4 minutes into the 3rd Period. Receiving the 2nd assist was fellow Isles teammate Bill Guerin who also added a goal earlier in the contest. Billy G has done well, not great, scoring 3 goals and adding 4 assists for 7 points on 10 games. The final FI in the group was Ruslan Fedotenko who scored a goal and added a helper on the insurance goal. Fedo has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 2 games and now has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points on 10 games.

Check in soon for more updates and highlights as the Conference Finals loom just over the hill.

Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6

We are way behind on the times here at Former Islander Watch. We will try to catch up by doubling the days. Here is a look at Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6. FIs were involved in both games on Tuesday and 1 of the 2 games on Wednesday. Here is a peek:

Tuesday

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 23 of 24 shots as the Canucks downed the host Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead. Lu has been an impressive 6-1 in his first 7 games in the playoffs surrendering only 14 goals in that span.





Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood looked good but the offense failed him as the Red Wings fell 2-1 to the host Anaheim Ducks. With the victory the Ducks grabbed a 2-1 series lead. Ozzie stopped 21 of 23 shots faced but lost for the 2nd straight games as Anaheim is stunning the defending champions in a lackluster offensive performance all around. After winning 5 straight to start the playoffs Osgood is now 5-2 with only 13 goals finding their way past him.

Wednesday

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored his team's first goal as the Penguins pulled out a 3-2 OT win over the visiting Washington Capitals. The win cut the Caps' series lead to 2-1. Fedo now has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in the first 9 games of the playoffs. A Stanley Cup ring wearer, Fedotenko can be an immense help to his teams. When Fedo has notched a point in this playoff the Pens have a 2-1 record.

Check back soon with FIW for more updates and recaps.

Saturday May 2

There were a pair of games on Saturday and a pair of Former Islander happenings. Lovely how that works. Here is a look at the (mis)deeds of the FIs:

Pittsburgh winger Bill Guerin assisted on his team's first goal only 4:09 into play as the Penguins were edged by the host Washington Capitals 3-2. The Caps quickly grabbed a 1-0 series lead with the victory. Billy G has had assists in back-to-back games after going scoreless in his last 3 games and now has 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points on 7 contests.



Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo got torn up for 5 goals on 31 shots as the Chicago Blackhawks crushed the host Canucks 6-3 to even the series at a win apiece. Lu had his worst performance in exactly a month previously surrendering 5 goals in a game on April 2. Due to the performance Lu's numbers fell off a little bit with his goals against average rising to 2.06 and his save percentage dropping to .933.

Check in soon for more recaps and playoff antics at FIW.

Thursday April 30

The second round of the 2009 NHL playoffs kicked off with a battle between the well-rested Canucks and the spry Blackhawks. Here is a look at the Former Islander effort in that game:

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 28 of 31 shots to improve to 5-0 on the playoffs as the host Canucks overcame a 3 goal collapse to pull off a 5-3 win. Vancouver now leads Chicago 1-0 in their series. The 3 goals were the most Lu has surrendered so far this postseason. The goalie has managed to surrender only 8 goals over this 5 game span. To go along with the 5 straight playoff wins Luongo has won 8 overall dating back to April 7 of the regular season.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Check back soon for more updates 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.