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.

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 March 21

It was an unusually slow Saturday as only 16 teams faced off in a scant 8 games around the NHL. Former Islander participation was especially low for the typically busiest weekend game day as FIs only popped in support in 4 of those contests. Here is a quick recap:

San Jose defenseman Brad Lukowich snapped a frostily cold 21 game point-less streak with a helper on the Sharks' 2nd goal as they dumped the visiting Dallas Stars 5-2. Luko now has 7 assists on 48 games this season after recording his first helping hand point since December 13. Sadly, Lukowich had spent most of January and February on the Injured Reserve list.



Toronto winger Jason Blake netted his team's 5th a final goal, a powerplay tally, as the Maple Leafs downed the fading Montreal Canadiens from the Bell Centre 5-2. With 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) over the last 6 games Blake now has 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points on 69 games. The tally was a big one for Blake who now has 25 goals on a season for the first time since 2006-07, his last with the Isles when he notched a career high 40. It was only the 4th season that Blake has reach the 25+ goal mark as he narrows in on career point #400 (only 5 shy). The powerplay tally was the 5th of the season for Blake who has had 5+ extra man goals in 3 of his last 4 seasons.

Red hot winger Raffi Torres netted 2 goals, including the game winner, as the red hot Columbus Blue Jackets shut down the host Florida Panthers 3-1. Torres scored the tying goal with only 2:46 remaining in play and then sealed the win 1:07 later with only 93 seconds left in regulation. With 7 goals over the last 9 games Torres has lifted his numbers. He now has 10 goals and 6 assists for 16 points on 41 games. Torres has built on his single season high and now has 5 game winners on the year. With 10 goals he has reached the multi-digit tally mark for the 4th time in his last 5 seasons. Assisting on the winner was center Michael Peca who has 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) on 62 games. Peca has had 4 helpers over the last 4 tilts.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was roughed up with 3 goals on 23 shots in only 40 minutes of ice time as the Phoenix Coyotes thumped the visiting Canucks 5-1. The 'Yotes feasted on the 'Nucks even scoring a rare touch up penalty call empty net goal on Vancouver midway through the 2nd Period. The boff was officially recorded as a rare, middle of the game empty net goal. Luongo took the loss and is now 27-10-6 on the season with a .917 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average. Lu was pulled for the first time since November 5 when he injured his groin 5 minutes into play. For the 9th straight season Luongo has secured 10 or more losses.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Wednesday March 18

With only 4 games on Wednesday night there was not much fodder for Former Islander happenings. FIs did, however, help out in 2 of those tilts. Here is a peek at their workload:

Center Michael Peca assisted on Columbus' 2nd goal as the surprisingly strong Blue Jackets are in playoff position and sticking with more points in a 4-3 OT win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Peca has 3 assists over the last 3 games (all against Chicago) and now has 4 goals and 16 assists for 20 points on 61 games. For the 2nd straight season and 11th time on his career Peca has reached the 20+ point plateau.


New Jersey backup goaltender Kevin Weekes' 5 game winning streak came to an end as he stopped 28 of 32 shots in the Devils' 4-2 loss at the hands of the host Carolina Hurricanes. Weekes dropped to 7-5-0 on the season after surrendering 4 goals for only the 3rd time this season and first since December 13. He is sporting a handsome .920 save percentage and an attractive 2.40 goals against average.

Check in soon for more updates at FIW.

Friday March 13

Former Islanders made a clean sweeping helping out in every game on Friday night: all 2 of them. Here is a look at the FI effort:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres netted the game winning goal again as the Blue Jackets downed the host Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. The goal was Torres' 3rd in his last 4 games. He now has 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points on 38 games. The winner was his 2nd in the last 3 games and he now has 4 winners on the season - a new single season high. He has 12 deciding goals on his career. Assisting on that tally and Jacks' 2nd goal was center Michael Peca in only his 2nd game back after 10 days of injury downtime. The helpers snapped a 6 game point-less streak. Peca now has 4 goals and 15 assists for 19 points on 59 games. For the 2nd straight season and 10th time on his career Peca has notched 15 or more assists. Backstopping the Jacks to success was Wade Dubielewicz who started for the first time since February 6. Dubie stopped 27 of 30 shots for the victory, his first of the season and first since April 4, 2008 - his last game with the Isles. He is now 1-2-0 on the season with an .870 save percentage and a 3.56 goals against average.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 24 of 26 shots as the Canucks doubled up on the visiting Los Angeles Kings for a 4-2 victory. Lu stopped a mini 2 game winless streak and improved Luongo's record to 24-9-6 on the season. He has won 14 of his last 17 starts compiling a 11-2-1 record in that span. Assisting on the opening goal midway through the 1st Period was winger Taylor Pyatt. T-Py has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) over the last 3 games and now has 16 (8 goals, 8 assists) on 59 games. The helper leaves Pyatt 1 shy of career #100.

Check back soon for more recaps and updates at FIW.

Wednesday February 18

There were a handful (5) games on Wednesday night. Former Islanders contributed in a pair (2) of those contests. Here is a brief look:

Columbus center Michael Peca had an assist on the game winning goal late in the 2nd Period as the Blue Jackets edged the visiting St. Louis Blues 4-3. Peca has 3 assists over the last 4 games and now has 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) on 52 games this season.




Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, playing in his first game with Montreal since being traded by Atlanta on Monday, notched a powerplay assist on the Habs' 2nd goal as the Canadiens were edged by the host Washington Capitals 4-3 in the SO. Schneids has 4 goals and 12 assists for 16 games on 45 games this season between Atlanta and Montreal. Assisting on the tying goal with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game was Washington d-man Tom Poti. The helper snapped a 9 game point-less streak dating back to December 18 as Poti has struggled with injuries. He now has 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points on 32 games.

Check in soon for more updates and highlights at FIW.

Saturday February 14

It was a happy St. Valentine's Day for 9 teams and a less than happy one for 9 others as 18 teams faced off in three-quarter dozen games on Saturday. Former Islanders kicked in their help in a whopping 7 of those contests. Here is the breakdown:

Tough winger Arron Asham snapped an 18 game goal-less streak scoring against his old squad as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the visiting Isles 5-1. Asham now has 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points on 50 games. Over the last 4 games Asham has 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist.




Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson capped the game with a SO goal in the 2nd round as the Oilers edged the host Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Up 1-0 after one and a half rounds of SO action Nilsson had the chance to seal the victory with a goal. He summarily did capping a tight contest which saw the Kings tie it at 2 with only 26 seconds remaining in regulation.



Toronto winger Jason Blake scored 2 goals including the game winner and sealed up the first star honor as the Maple Leafs downed the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2. Blake now has 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points on 52 games. Over the last 4 games Blakey has racked up 6 points on 4 goals and 2 assists. The game winner was the 4th for Blake in the last 8 games and his 5th of the season. For the 5th time in the last 6 seasons Blake has recorded 20+ goals. The winning tally was the 23rd of Blake's career.

Columbus center Michael Peca assisted on the opening goal for the 2nd straight game as the Blue Jackets thumped the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. Peca now has 4 goals and 12 assists for 16 points on 51 games.





Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara scored the tying goal as the Bruins were felled by the host Nashville Predators 3-2 in SO. Chara snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points on 57 games. Chara inched closer to career goal #100 with the netter and is now only 2 goals shy of that mark.



Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron had the secondary assist on the Wild's 2nd goal as Minny blew a 3-0 lead to fall 5-3 to the visiting Ottawa Senators. Bergeron snapped a 5 game point-less streak and now has 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points 45 games. The assist was career point #150 for MAB and came in his 312th game. For the 5th time on his career Bergeron has notched 15 or more helpers.


Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi had a field day recording 4 even strength assists to lead the Flames' charge and seal the first star honor as the Flames downed the host Phoenix Coyotes 7-5. Bert now has 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points on 51 games. With 17 less games played than last season Bertuzzi has already surpassed his 40 point output while with the Anaheim Ducks. For the 2nd straight season and 8th time on his career Bert has reached the 40+ point mark. As well, this was the 8th season in which Bertuzzi has recorded 25 or more helpers. The 4 points was the most for Bertuzzi since October 6, 2006 during his brief stint with the Florida Panthers. That game was the opening contest for the Panthers' 2006-07 campaign and Bertuzzi scored a goal and 3 assists in the first of only 7 games in South Florida. Calgary d-man Adrian Aucoin scored the Flames' 2nd goal. Aucoin has 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points on 56 games. The goal snapped a 6 game point-less streak and Aucoin has notched 25+ points for the 2nd straight season and 8th time on his career. Phoenix center Olli Jokinen recorded an assist on Phoenix's 3rd goal. O-Jok now has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points on 51 games. He has had 2 assists in the last 2 games.

Check in soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Friday February 13

There were 7 games up for grabs on an unlucky Friday the 13th. Luckily for Former Islanders, however, they are contributing and contributing often. FIs helped out in 4 of those contests. Here is a quick look:

Winger Raffi Torres opened the scoring only 2:45 in to play as they Columbus Blue Jackets eked by the visiting Detroit Red Wings for a 3-2 victory. Torres now has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points on 25 games. He has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) over the last 2 outings and snapped a 8 game goal-less streak with the netter. Assisting on that goal was center Michael Peca. He now has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points on 49 games. Peca snapped a 5 game point-less run with the helper. For the 12th straight season Peca has reached the 15+ point mark. Taking the loss for the Wings was goaltender Chris Osgood who stopped 22 of 25 shots. He fell to 18-5-6 due to the defeat snapping a 3 game winning streak.

Center Tim Connolly assisted on Buffalo's 2nd goal less than 9 minutes into regulation as the Sabres edged the visiting San Jose Sharks for a 5 round SO victory. 6-5. Connolly was stopped on his attempt in the 3rd round of the shootout. He now has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points on 22 games. He has assists in 3 consecutive games and points in the last 5 overall totaling 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists). The helper came on the man advantage and was Connolly's 7th of the year with the extra skater.

Florida winger Richard Zednik scored the clinching goal in round 4 of the SO as the Panthers knocked off the visiting New York Rangers 2-1. Zed has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points on 44 games. The lack of an actual point snapped a 4 game points scoring streak.




Vancouver winger Taylor Pyatt scored the lone Canucks' goal a little over 5 minutes into regulation as they fell to the host Dallas Stars 2-1. T-Py now has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) on 47 games. The netter snapped a 6 game streak without a goal.




Check back soon for more updates and highlights.

Friday January 30

We are playing a little bit of catch up here at FIW so here goes. Friday night there were 5 games with Former Islanders tipping in their help in 3 of those contests. Here is a quick look:

Columbus center Michael Peca notched the primary assist on the lone Blue Jackets goal as they edged the visiting Ottawa Senators 1-0. Peca now has 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points on 43 games. For the 12th straight season Peca has reached 10+ helpers.




Calgary defenseman Adrian Aucoin notched the insurance goal with 7:30 remaining in the 3rd Period as the Flames dispensed of the visiting Nashville Predators 3-1. Aucoin is riding a 6 game point scoring streak in which he has notched 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists. He has 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points on 48 games. Aucoin leads all Flames' d-men in goals scored and has a 3 tally margin over star blueliner Dion Phaneuf.


Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson received the primary assist on the powerplay insurance goal as the Oilers downed the visiting Minnesota Wild 3-1. Nily now has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points on 38 games. Over the last 2 games Nilsson has pulled his weight scoring a goal and adding 2 helpers for 3 points.



Check back soon for more updates and recaps.

Sunday January 18

It was a clean sweep on Sunday as Former Islanders made contributions in all 4 games. Let us take a quick look at the action:

Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan notched the primary assist on the first insurance goal as the Penguins blanked the visiting New York Rangers 3-0. Satan has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 4 games and now has 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points on 47 games. Satan now has 30+ points in each of his 13 seasons.




Colorado winger Ryan Smyth kept up his inspired play netting the game winning shorthanded tally and adding 2 assists (1 powerplay) to receive the first star honor as the Avalanche thumped the visiting Calgary Flames 6-2. The shorthanded goal was a huge one for Smyth as it was career #300 coming in his game #889. Smyth has 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points on 46 games this season. Over the last 7 games he has racked up an impressive 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists). The shortie was Smyth's first since November 13, 2006 while still with the Edmonton Oilers - a span of 123 games (5 playoff) without such a score. Calgary defenseman Adrian Aucoin assisted on the 2nd Flames' goal. Aucoin has assists in 3 straight games and 5 helpers over the last 5 outings. He has 6 goals and 13 assists for 19 points on 45 games. Aucoin is 1st among Flames' d-men in goals and 2nd in points.

It was a busy night in Vancouver as 4 FIs made it to the boxscore as the Columbus Blue Jackets downed the Canucks 6-5 in the SO. Jackets' winger Raffi Torres netted his team's 5th goal early in the 3rd before the team blew the 5-3 advantage. The goal was his first since November 29, one game before being injured for a month and a half. Torres now has 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points on 16 games. For the 6th straight season Torres has managed 5+ points. Assisting on Columbus' 3rd goal was center Michael Peca. He has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 4 and 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points on 40 games. Opening the scoring was Canucks' winger Taylor Pyatt back in only his 3rd game after suffering a foot injury in late December. Pyatt received the 3rd star honor for his effort. He has 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points on 39 games. T-Py has managed at least 5 goals in each of the last 7 seasons. 'Nucks goaltender Roberto Luongo did not have a good game for the 2nd straight time since returning from a November injury. Luongo stopped only 23 of 28 shots and was bested in both SO attempts in receiving the OT loss. The defeat dropped Luongo to 11-6-3 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average. Luongo has given up 9 goals over the last 2 games.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen notched the primary assist on his team's 3rd and final goal as they were bounced by the host Edmonton Oilers 6-3. O-Jok is having a surprisingly balanced albeit under-performing year with only 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) on 41 games. He has been spotty at best with only 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist) over the last 9 games.


Check back soon for more at FIW.

Tuesday January 13

There were 11 games on the NHL schedule meaning a busy night was had by all. Former Islanders stepped up big time on Tuesday notching 2 game winning goals and setting up another. Of those 11 matches FIs made differences in 5 of them scoring an impressive 6 goals and 2 assists. Here is a look:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara scored 2 powerplay goals 10:01 apart in the 2nd period of the Bruins' 3-1 home win over the Montreal Canadiens. The 2nd of those goals was the game winner as Chara now has 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points on 43 games. Chara has an impressive 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) from the powerplay this season. For the 6th straight season Chara has reached the 25+ point plateau. The game winner was the 2nd of the season and the 16th of his career.

Struggling Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan snapped a 5 game point-less streak after recently being relegated to 4th line duty. Satan recorded the primary assist on the game winner as the Penguins downed the host Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. He now has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points on 44 games. Satan still has the nagging problem of not having scored a goal in his last 13, an especially problematic occurrence considering he led the Pens earlier in the season in goals scored.

Columbus center Michael Peca continued his recent good play scoring the game winning goal with less than 11 minutes remaining in play as the Blue Jackets skipped by the visiting Colorado Avalanche for a 4-3 victory. Peca now has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 2 outings and 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over the last 7. He has 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points on 38 games. The winner was the 2nd of the season for Peca who has 33 career deciding tallies. Scoring the too-little-too-late goal for the Avs was winger Ryan Smyth who has been on fire. Smyth has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points over the last 4 games. Despite snapping a 3 game assist-less run Smyth is riding a 3 game goal-scoring streak. Smyth had not scored goals in 3 or more consecutive games since December 31, 2006-January 4, 2007 while still a member of the Edmonton Oilers. He has 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points on 43 games this season. For the 10th time on his career Smyth has scored 15+ goals in a season and has already surpassed his 14 from last year, his first season with the Avs which had come in 55 injury-shortened games.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov notched the primary assist on the opening goal as the Oilers dispensed of the host Washington Capitals 5-2. Grebeshkov now has 3 goals and 15 assists for 18 points on 39 games equaling stat-for-stat his offensive output from 71 games last season. The sky is the limit now as Greb will almost certainly set new single season highs with his next goal, assist and point. Greb is currently 4th in points among Oil d-men, a very talented blueline in terms of offensive abilities.

Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron took barely any time to get back on the scoresheet after missing ever game since December 19 with a lower body injury. Bergeron scored the opening goal only 46 seconds in to regulation as the Wild doubled up the visiting Phoenix Coyotes for a 6-3 victory. MAB now has 4 goals and 13 assists for 17 points on 32 games. Despite missing a considerable chunk of games Bergeron is only 3 points behind the Wild's current defensive scoring leader and is still 2nd on the team in assists from defenseman. Trying to provide aide to the Coyotes was center Olli Jokinen who scored the 'Yotes' 2nd goal. O-Jok has 2 goals over the last 3 games and has compiled 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points on 38 games. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has reached 15+ goals and 30+ points.

Check in soon for more updates, highlights and news at FIW.

Saturday January 10

There were a plethora of games on Saturday and excitement was high as 24 teams faced off in a dozen high energy tilts. Former Islanders are making their presences known and this night was no different. FIs helped out (or tried anyway) in 7 of those contests. Here is a quick look at the happenings:

Florida winger Richard Zednik notched a pair of assists as the Panthers demolished the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 8-4. Zed received primary assists on the team's 6th and 8th goals as the Panthers had bookended the game with a 3 goal 1st period and a 5 goal 3rd period. Zednik has had 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points over the last 5 games and has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) on 31 games this season.


Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara had the secondary assist on the first of 3 insurance goals as the Bruins dismantled the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. An All-Star-in-waiting, the assist was big for Chara not just because it snapped a 4 game point-less drought but because it was career helper #200. Chara has played in 729 regular season games but has come into his own over the last 5 or 6 seasons as a source of defensive offense. Chara remains only 8 points away from 300 on his career - a number he could foreseeable hit before the month is out.

Colorado winger Ryan Smyth had another good game recording a goal and an assist as the Avalanche outlasted the underwhelming Pittsburgh Penguins for a 5-3 home win. Smyth repeated his effort from 2 nights earlier and has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) during his current 3 game mini-scoring streak. Over the last 9 games Smyth has racked up 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points. On the season, he has 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points on 42 games. The goal was point #30 for the season, a mark he has reached in 12 consecutive campaigns. Smyth is on the verge of another landmark as he sits only 2 goals away from career #300.

Tough Philadelphia winger Arron Asham assisted on the insurance goal as the Flyers downed the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Not known as an offensive force, Asham has managed 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 8 games. He now has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points on 38 games. The helper was career #75 for Asham who has played in 536 regular season games. On a completely different note, Asham currently leads all Flyers with 97 penalty minutes.

Columbus center Michael Peca finds ways of making other players look good. Peca set up rookie Nikita Filatov's 2nd and 3rd goals as the youngster became the first Blue Jackets' freshman to score a hat trick. The Jackets knocked off the pesky Minnesota Wild 4-2 for the home win. Peca now has 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points on 37 games. For the 13th consecutive season Peca has notched 10+ points. Over the last 6 games Peca has had a strong showing with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). The multi-point effort was his first since February 10, 2008 snapping a 58 game string of 1 point or less.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen was stopped by Dallas goaltender Marty Turco in the 3rd of 5 rounds of SO as the Coyotes edged the visiting Dallas Stars 1-0. Jokinen is tied for 49th in all-time SO history at 8 goals for 24 attempts (33.3%) equaling the efforts of Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg, St. Louis' Andy McDonald and Colorado's Marek Svatos.



New Jersey backup goalie Kevin Weekes received 1st star honor as he stopped 34 of 35 shots en route to a 5-1 Devils victory over the host Los Angeles Kings. The start was Weekes' single best outing of the season and improved his record to 3-4-0. He is sporting a .908 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average. To be totally honest, the start was actually his best in a season and a half nearly mirroring his win in the first game of the 2007-08 season when on October 6, 2007 he stopped 32 of 33 shots leading the Devils to a 4-1 win over the host Florida Panthers. Scoring the lone goal for the Kings was center Derek Armstrong who was playing in first game since December 9. Army snapped a 5 game point-less and goal-less streak and now has 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points on 19 games.

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