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!

Sunday April 5

There were 6 games on tap on Sunday, the 2nd to last of the 2008-09 NHL season. Former Islanders helped out in 4 of those half dozen tilts. Here is a summation of the FI activities:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win as the Red Wings downed the visiting Minnesota Wild 3-2 seriously impacting the Wild's playoff dreams. Ozzie is now 25-8-7 on the season. For the 2nd straight season and 9th time on his career Ozzie has recorded 25 or more wins.




Florida defenseman Bryan McCabe scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Panthers' charge as they doubled up on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins for a 4-2 victory. McCabe received the 1st star honor for his effort. Big Mc now has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points on 65 games.




Anaheim center Petteri Nokelainen scored a shorthanded goal as the Ducks were edged by the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2. Noky snapped a 5 game point-less streak and now has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 48 games this season. Since joining the Ducks Nokelainen has netted 4 goals and added a helper for 5 points on 15 games. The shortie was the first of Nokelainen's young career.


Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped only 22 of 26 shots and took the loss as they Canucks were downed by the lowly visiting Colorado Avalanche 4-1. Lu is on a small slide with an 0-2-1 record over the last 3 starts. Luongo is now 29-13-7 on the season as the 'Nucks continue to battle for the Northwest Division crown.



Check back soon at FIW.

Tuesday March 31

With the month of March officially on its last day and the playoffs only a few weeks off the race for spots has become rather intense with each point in the standings pretty much ensuring a spot in the dance or seasonal demise. Former Islanders were especially active helping out in all 7 contests. Here is a look at the plethora of FI happenings:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara had a huge night compiling a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" (goal, assist and fight) and sealing up the first star honor as the Eastern Conference best Bruins downed the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1. Chara scored the game winning powerplay goal less than 7 minutes into the 2nd Period and added a powerplay assist minutes later to lead the Bs' offensive charge. In the 1st Period Chara mixed it up with impossible to spell Lightning forward Evgeny Artyukhin. The "Gordie Howe" was the 3rd of Chara's career and ironically came on Gordie's 81st birthday. With 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 2 games Chara now has 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) on 76 games. The netter equals his prior single season high from last year while also snapping an 8 goal-less stretch. The assist makes it 3 straight seasons of 30 or more, a mark he has now reached 4 times. The game winner was the 3rd of the season for Chara and the 17th of his career.

When Columbus winger Raffi Torres has scored recently it has been quality. Torres netted the winning goal just over 4 minutes into the 3rd Period as the Blue Jacket edged the visiting Nashville Predators 2-1 at home. With 6 winning tallies out of 12 goals this season Torres has been an effective game changer. He has 18 points (12 goals, 6 assists) on 46 games. In the last 11 games Torres has knocked home 4 winning goals meaning he has had the deciding tally in all 7 Jackets' wins over that span. Receiving the primary assist on the netter was center Michael Peca. He snapped a 4 game point-less slide and now has 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points on 67 games.

Florida d-man Bryan McCabe netted the game winning powerplay goal and added an extra man assist as the Panthers thumped the visiting Ottawa Senators 5-2. Big Mc was the 1st star and now has 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points on 64 games. He snapped a 7 game point-less stretch and a 10 game goal-less streak. For the 5th time McCabe has reached 35 or more points on a season. The winning score was his 3rd of the season and the 23rd of his career. Scoring the 2nd Florida goal was winger Richard Zednik. The goal, Zed's 3rd in the last 6 games, was a big one as it was the 200th of his career coming in his 740th game. Zednik now has 17 goals and 12 assists for 32 points on 65 games. Scoring Ottawa's 2nd goal, a man advantage score, was d-man Chris Campoli. Campy now has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points on 60 games. He snapped a 3 game point-less run and a 7 game goal-less streak. He has averaged a point-per-every-2-games since joining the Sens with 10 (4 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games. Campoli now has a new single season high in goals breaching the 10+ mark for the first time.

Montreal d-man Mathieu Schneider scored an insurance goal with less than 4 minutes remaining in play as the Canadiens dispense of the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Schneids now has points in 4 straight (1 goal, 3 assists) and has 29 points (7 goals, 22 assists) on 63 games. Since joining the Habs Schneider has lit it up with 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 19 contests.


Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 33 of 34 shots including all 4 he faced in OT as the Canucks edged the host Minnesota Wild 2-1. Rewarded with the first star honor Luongo is now 30-11-6 on the season. The victory was Lu's 3rd in his last 4 starts.




Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov rocketed home the Oilers' 2nd goal as Edmonton were bested by the visiting Anaheim Ducks 5-3 severely impacting their playoff hopes. The goal was his 6th of the season and first in 4 games. Along with 29 assists Greb has now reached 35 points for the first time in a season. Grebeshkov has averaged better than a point-per-every-2-games with 35 in 68 games.


Los Angeles center Derek Armstrong assisted on the too-little-too-late goal as the Kings were felled by the visiting Dallas Stars 3-2. Army snapped a 5 game point-less stretch and now has 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points on 53 games. Armstrong is only 1 helper shy of 150 on his career.




Check in soon with FIW for more updates, recaps and highlights as we speed to the regular season finish line.

Saturday February 7

There were a neat and tidy 10 games up for grabs on Saturday around the NHL. With teams still in the playoff hunt every point in the standings counts. Saturday featured an energetic series of contests with Former Islanders providing support in 7 of those tilts. Here is a quick look:

Ottawa defenseman Chris Campoli put up on heck of an effort scoring the game winning goal and adding an assist as the Senators trounced the visiting Buffalo Sabres 6-3. Campy has done exceptionally so far with the Senators having notched 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) on 7 games with both goals of the game winning variety. On 59 games this season between the Isles and Sens he has 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists). Half of his goals this season (4) have been game deciding tallies. Campoli is only 1 goal short of equaling his single season high of 9 from his 2005-06 rookie season with the Blue and Orange.

New Jersey backup goaltender Kevin Weekes successfully stopped the 1 shot he faced while playing 17 minutes of relief time as the Islanders shellacked the host Devils 7-3. Weekes received no decision for the appearance and remained 7-4-0 on the season. His stats improved slightly with his goals against average dropping to 2.27 and his save percentage increased (barely) to .924. The appearance was his first since February 19 and his first relief appearance since January 8.

Florida winger Richard Zednik received the sole assist on the insurance goal with less than 3 minutes remaining as the Panthers knocked off the visiting St. Louis Blues 5-3. Zed now has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points on 55 games. Florida d-man Bryan McCabe had a powerplay assist on the team's 3rd goal. He has 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points on 56 games. The powerplay helper was his 10th of the season making it 5 straight years and 7 overall with 10+ extra man assists. Nearly half of his points this season (16, 6 goals, 10 assists) have come on the powerplay.


Columbus winger Raffi Torres opened the scoring just over 4 minutes in to play as the Blue Jackets de-constructed the host Detroit Red Wings 8-2. Torres now has 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points on 35 games. He has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 3 contests. Taking the beating in goal for the Wings was starter Chris Osgood who stopped a meager 16 of 23 shots in 43 minutes of play. For the 2nd time this season Ozzie has surrendered 7 goals in a game an amazing fact considering we have yet to find a game in which he surrendered so many goals prior to this season. Osgood's numbers are bad with an .878 save percentage and a 3.30 goals against average but his record is great at 20-6-7. Hmm.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov assisted on the Oilers' 3rd goal as they handily dispensed of the host Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Greb has 3 assists in 4 games since returning from an injury and now has 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) on 55 games. He is second among Oilers' d-men in assists and 4th among blueliners in points scored.



Philadelphia tough guy Arron Asham assisted on the second insurance goal as the Flyers cut down the visiting Nashville Predators 4-1. Asham snapped a 5 game point skid and now has 5 goals and 7 assists for 12 points on 60 games. Ash is 3 points shy of 150 on his career.




Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 28 of 29 shots en route to yet another win as the Canucks stopped the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-1. Luongo is now 23-8-5 on the season and is riding a 4 game winning streak. He has won an amazing 12 of his last 13 starts.




Check back soon at FIW.

Tuesday March 3

There were a whopping 12 games on tap on the eve of the trade deadline as the NHL primed itself for swapping season. Former Islanders were players in 8 of those 12 contests. Here is a look at their contributions:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres netted a powerplay goal and added an assist sealing up the second star honor as the Blue Jackets edged the host Los Angeles Kings 5-4. With 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 3 games Torres now has 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points on 33 games. For the 5th straight season Torres reached the 5+ goal mark and the 10+ point level. Assisting on the Kings' 2nd goal was center Derek Armstrong. He snapped a 4 game point-less stretch and a 31 game helper-less streak. Army now has 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points on 39 games.

Florida winger Richard Zednik notched the game winning goal with only 50 seconds remaining in the 2nd Period as the Panthers eked by the host Atlanta Thrashers 4-3. Zed now has 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points on 53 games. The winner was his 3rd of the season. He is currently only 3 goals short of career #200. Receiving the primary assist on the goal was defenseman Bryan McCabe. Big Mc now has points in 4 consecutive games to the tune of 7 (2 goals, 5 assists). McCabe now has 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points on 54 games. The helpers was the 450th point of McCabe's career and came in his 971st game. For the 8th time McCabe has recorded 20 or more assists on a season.

Boston d-man and captain Zdeno Chara assisted on his team's first goal as the Bruins were felled by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. With 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 3 games Chara now has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) on 64 games. The assist, which came on the powerplay, is the 14th of the season for Chara with the man advantage.



Calgary d-man Adrian Aucoin assisted on the Flames' first insurance goal as they thumped the host Ottawa Senators 6-3. Aucoin snapped a 4 game point-less streak with the helper and now has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points on 63 games. He went a surprisingly shocking 15 straight games without an assist dating back to January 28. Assisting on Ottawa's final goal, a powerplay netter, was center Mike Comrie. In his first 5 games with Ottawa Comrie has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). The powerplay helper was the 75th of Comrie's career. He now has 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points on 46 games between the Isles and Sens. For the 6th time on his career Comrie has 15 or more helpers.

Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on his team's first goal as the Maple Leafs were downed by the visiting New Jersey Devils 3-2 in OT. Playing in career game #650 Blake extended his consecutive point streak to 3 games. Over than span he has recorded 4 assists. He now has 22 goals and 29 assists for 51 points on 60 games only 1 point shy of his 52 point effort from last season, his first as a Leaf.

Oft-forgotten wingermajig Jason Strudwick assisted on the game tying goal as Edmonton fell to the Nashville Predators 6-5 in OT. The Oilers' every position player, already in the midst of his best offensive season, has had 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 5 contests. He now has 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points on 53 games and is closing in on career point #50.



It only took Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood 32 starts but he finally nailed down his first shutout of the season stopping 22 shots as the Red Wings tore down the host St. Louis Blues 5-0. With the goose egg Ozzie improved to 20-5-7 on the season with an. 883 save percentage and a 3.16 goals against average. The game pushed Osgood over the 40,000 minute mark in terms of career ice time played. For the 2nd straight season and 13th time on his career Ozzie has notched 20 or more victories. The embattled veteran is only 2 appearances away from 700 on his career. The blanking was the 48th of Osgood's career.

Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 17 of 19 shots winning for the 11th time in his last 12 starts as the Canucks downed the visiting Minnesota Wild 4-2. Luongo won a career best 8 straight before losing on February 24. Since then Luongo has won his next 3 starts giving up only 4 goals during the current stretch. Lu is now 22-8-5 on the season with a .916 save percentage and an ever shrinking 2.44 goals against average.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Sunday March 1

There were a half dozen (6) games up for grabs on Sunday as the NHL kicked off March, 2009. Former Islanders were not snoozing and kicked in help in 4 of those contests. Here is a brief recap:

Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan scored an insurance goal as the Penguins downed the host Dallas Stars 4-1. With 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 2 games Miro now has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points on 64 games. Despite his offensive woes Satan is still 4th on the Pens in every major category (goals, assists and points). Receiving the secondary assist on the opening goal only 4 minutes into play was winger Ruslan Fedotenko. He has 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points on 47 games. For the 5th straight season and 6th time on his career Fedo has reach 15 or more assists.

Florida defenseman Bryan McCabe score a powerplay goal and added 3 assists (2 powerplay) for an impressive 4 point effort as the Panthers thumped the host Washington Capitals 6-2. Surprisingly McCabe received only the 2nd star honor but is riding a 3 game point streak to the tune of 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists). He now has 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points on 53 games. For the 5th time on his career McCabe has notched 30+ points. Netting Florida's 4th goal was winger Richard Zednik. He snapped a 5 game goal-less streak and now has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points on 52 games.

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi scored a late powerplay goal as the Flames were felled by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in a score-a-thon 8-6. Bert snapped a 3 game point-less streak and a 7 game goal-less stretch with the tally. He now has 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points on 57 games. The game was career #850 for Bertuzzi who notched 15+ goals for the 8th season and the first time since the 2005-06 campaign while still with the Vancouver Canucks. The powerplay goal was the 6th of the year for Bert and the 98th of his career.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 19 of 20 shots as the Canucks downed the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. Luongo won for the 10th the in his last 11 starts and improved to 21-8-5 on the season. Vancouver has surrendered only 2 goals over the last 2 games while netting 5.




Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Saturday February 28

With February having officially reached its end and the March playoff push only a day away there was a boatload of NHL games to be decided. Former Islanders lent help in a hearty 8 of 11 tilts. Here is a look:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti had an assist on the Capitals' 3rd goal as they survived a Boston comeback for a 4-3 OT win over the host Bruins. Poti now has 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) on 38 games. For the 10th consecutive season Poti has recorded 10 or more helpers. Scoring the tying powerplay goal with less than 5 minutes remaining was Boston d-man Zdeno Chara. He has 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points on 63 games. The goal was a momentous one for Chara since it marked career #100! Half of all his goals (50) have come on the man advantage. It only took the formerly offensively inept blueliner 750 games to accomplish the task.

Florida d-man Bryan McCabe notched his team's 2nd and final goal as the Panthers were thumped by the host New Jersey Devils and recently returned goaltender Martin Brodeur. McCabe now has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points on 52 games. The netter snapped an 11 game goal-less stretch dating back to February 3.



Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on rookie Tim Stapleton's first career goal as the Maple Leafs edged the host Ottawa Senators 4-3 in OT. Blakey has 3 assists over the last 2 games and now has 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points on 59 games. For the 45th straight season and 5th time on his career Blake has reached the 50+ point mark. Assisting on Ottawa's 2nd goal was recently reacquired center Mike Comrie. He has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) on 4 games since coming to Ottawa in a trade. On the season he has 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points on 45 games.

Colorado winger Ryan Smyth scored his team's lone goal as the Avalanche were trounced by the host New York Rangers 6-1. Smyth now has 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points on 63 games. He is 2nd on the Avalanche in goals, first in assists and first in points leading the Western Conference worst Colorado in almost every major category.



Unbelievably active Montreal d-man Mathieu Schneider kept up his great play since re-joining the Canadiens notching a powerplay assist on the opening goal as the Habs downed the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2. In 6 games with the Canadiens Schneids has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. All 6 of his points have come with the man advantage. On 50 games this season between the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Schneider has 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points.

Detroit goalie Chris Osgood came in for a little backup support stopping on 10 of 14 shots in 50 minutes of ice time as the Red Wings were crushed by the host Nashville Predators 8-0. Ozzie had no decision so his record remained static at 19-5-7. His save percentage dropped to .880 while his goals against average raised slightly to 3.26.



Phoenix center Olli Jokinen scored his team's lone tally as the Coyotes were felled by the visiting St. Louis Blues 3-1. Jokinen has 5 points (4 goals, 1 assists) over the last 4 games and now has 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points on 57 games. Rumor has it that Jokinen is being held out as trade bait as we approach the deadline on Wednesday. The goal was the 75th powerplay tally of O-Jok's career.


Fresh off a 2 and a half week stay on the Injured Reserve list and Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov is already back in the offensive swing of things. Greb assisted on the game winning goal as the Oilers edged the visiting Minnesota Wild 2-1. Greb has 3 assists over his last 4 games and now has 4 goals and 22 assists for 26 points on 52 games. The helper was a big one as it was career point #50 for Grebeshkov coming in the young blueliner's 156th game.

Check in soon for more updates at FIW.

Thursday February 26

There were a considerable 10 games on the NHL schedule on Thursday night. Former Islanders did not disappoint lending their support in 7 of those contests. Here is a look at the FI happenings:

Boston defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara recorded the lone assist on the Bs' third goal as the Bruins blanked the visiting Anaheim Ducks 6-0. Chara now has 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points on 62 games. Though it is unlikely he will surpass his single season high points total from last season (51) he could equal or surpass the 17 goals which were also a single season high.


Toronto winger Jason Blake notched 2 assists and scored a SO goal in the 2nd round as the Maple Leafs edged the host Isles 5-4. Each helper came on the special teams with one on the powerplay and the other shorthanded. Blakey now has 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points on 58 games. The shortie assist was Blake's first since before the lockout with his most recent on February 29, 2004 (ironically enough FIW's wedding day!) while still with the Isles. Since departing the Island Blake has 7 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 7 games against the Blue & Orange.

Buffalo winger Tim Connolly was stopped on his attempt in the 3rd round of the SO instantly ending the game as the Sabres fell to the host Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. Connolly has fallen off his point-per-game pace going scoreless in his last 2 outings. He now has 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points on 28 games.





Florida winger Richard Zednik had the primary assist on the game winning goal with only 7:10 remaining in play as the Panthers edged the free-falling New York Rangers 2-1 at Madison Square Garden. Zed snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points on 50 games. He remains only 5 goals away from career #200. Receiving the secondary assist on the winning tally was d-man Bryan McCabe. McCabe also snapped a 3 game point-less stretch and has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points on 51 games.

New FI d-man Chris Campoli had a powerplay assist on the lone Senators goal as Ottawa was just barely downed by the visiting San Jose Sharks 2-1. Campy has been impressive so far with the Sens managing assists in 3 straight games to the tune of 4 helpers. He has notched 2 of those assists on the powerplay. Campoli now has 6 goals and 15 assists for 21 points on 54 games. For only the 2nd time Campy has notched 15+ assists on a season.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen assisted on the lone Coyotes goal as they fell to the host Nashville Predators 4-1. O-Jok has 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) on 56 games and is facing a potential 20 point drop off from last season which would mean over the span of 2 seasons Jokinen's stats would have gone from the 90+ range to the 70+ range down to the low 50s.



Columbus winger Raffi Torres scored the only goal of the game as the Blue Jackets eked by the host Edmonton Oilers 1-0. Torres snapped a 3 game point-less stretch and now has 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points on 31 games. The game winner was the 2nd of the season for Torres and the 10th of his career.



Check in with FIW soon for more recaps, highlights and news.