Sunday April 26

There were 2 more playoff games on Sunday with 2 more teams making a second attempt to close out their respective series. Both teams failed meaning game 7s on Tuesday. Former Islanders helped out (big time help!) in one of those two outings. Here is a look:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti had a dream game scoring a goal and adding 3 assists for an impressive 4 point effort as the Capitals downed the host New York Rangers 5-3 to pull their series even at 3-3. Poti was, of course, the first star for his effort. In 6 playoff games this postseason he has 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists. With 1 goal and 4 assists Poti has had 5 points over the last 2 games alone. Not known as an offensive source in the postseason, Poti now has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) on 37 playoff games. Poti has literally doubled his postseason points in this series and with the 4 point game literally boosted his playoff scoring by 50 percent! Scoring the game winning goal for the Caps was center Viktor Kozlov. He snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 2 goals in the 6 games. The winning tally was Koz's first in the playoffs and he now has 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) on 27 postseason games. For the 2nd straight game Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette made a 3rd Period start stopping a meager 2 shots in his 20 minute stint. Vali has 2 no decisions on his playoff career with 9 saves on 9 shots for a 0.00 goals against average. (Maybe the Rags should start him in Game 7!)

Check back soon as we wind down the first round here at FIW.

Friday April 24

As the first round series of the 2009 NHL playoffs grind on, many already having come to an end, Former Islanders continue to help out their hopeful squads. With 1 game on tap FIs helped out both sides as the Washington Capitals pulled off a 4-0 blanking over the visiting New York Rangers to pull their series to 3-2 with the Blueshirts still on top. Here is a look at the contest:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti received the secondary assist on the first insurance goal. With a 1 goal and an 1 assist over the last 3 games Poti now has 2 points on 5 games. Poti has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) on 36 playoff games. Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette came in to start the 3rd Period as starter Henrik Lundqvist surrendered those 4 goals on only 14 shots. Vali was perfect stopping all 7 shots he faced in his first career playoff appearance. In fact, Valiquette had not appeared in a game since March 26, his last start of the regular season.

Check in soon with FIW for more recaps and updates.

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.

Thursday March 26

There 8 games up for grabs on Thursday night with Former Islanders aiding in 4 of those tilts. Former Islanders are trying to help many of their teams seal a coveted playoff spot. Here is a look at the FI happenings:

Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had a powerplay helper on the opening goal as the Canadiens survived a near collapse to pull off a 3-2 OT win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. With an assist in his 2nd straight game Schneids now has 7 goals and 20 assists for 27 points on 61 games. Since coming back to Montreal the typically offensive d-man has been clicking with 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) on 17 games. For the 11th straight season and 17th time on his career Schneider has reached 20 or more assists. Nearly half of his assists this season (9) have come on the man advantage.

Columbus winger Raffi Torres netted the 2nd Blue Jackets' insurance goal as they trashed the visiting Calgary Flames 5-0. With 3 goals over the last 3 outings Torres now has 11 goals and 6 assists for 17 points on 43 games. Torres' play has taken a considerably upswing with the embattled winger notching 8 goals and 1 assist for 9 points over the last 13 games including 4 game winners.


Sometimes putting your backup in to start, even against one of the worst teams in the league, might not work out the way you hope. Such was the case with the New York Rangers who started bench warmer Stephen Valiquette as the Blueshirts faced off against the host Atlanta Thrashers. The Rangers staked themselves to an impressive 4-0 lead late in the 2nd Period before the Thrashers systematically tore apart Valiquette and beat the Rags in a stunning 6 round SO 5-4. The OT loss set Vali back for his 3rd straight start (0-2-1). He is now 5-5-2 on the season with a .907 save percentage and a 2.84 goals against average. Over his last 3 starts he has surrendered an appalling 16 goals on 104 shots (.846 save percentage).

Vancouver winger Taylor Pyatt opened the scoring only 4:12 into play but all was for naught as the Canucks were felled by the host St. Louis Blues 4-2. T-Py snapped a 4 game goal-less and point-less streak and now has 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points on 65 games. For the 3rd straight season and 5th time on his career Pyatt has notched 10+ goals. Taking the loss in net for 'Nucks was goaltender Roberto Luongo who stopped 28 of 32 shots. Lu lost for the 2nd time in his last 3 games and is now 28-11-6 on the season with a .917 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average.

Check back with FIW soon for more updates and recaps.

Monday March 9

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

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


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




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

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

Sunday February 15

There were 7 games on the NHL tap for Sunday. Former Islanders continue to aide their teams at a good clip. FIs stepped up and helped out in 4 of those tilts. Here is a look:

New York Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette picked up 32 minutes of relief coming in for a hammered Henrik Lundqvist as the Blueshirts fell to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. Vali stopped 5 of 6 shots faced but received no decision for the effort. He is now 5-4-1 on the season with a .907 save percentage and a 2.83 goals against average.




Colorado winger Ryan Smyth had an assist on the game tying goal but missed on his attempt in the 4th round of a 5 round SO as the Avalanche slipped by the host Detroit Red Wings for a 6-5 win. Smyth now has 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points on 57 games. This game was career #900 for Smyth who played exclusively for the Edmonton Oilers before fate brought him to the Isles and finally the Rocky Mountains. For the 9th time on his career Smyth has reached the 45+ point plateau. Taking the OT loss for the Wings was goalie Chris Osgood who stopped 23 of 28 shots between regulation and OT and 3 of 5 in the SO. Ozzie is now 18-5-7 on the season with an anorexic .879 save percentage and a bloated 3.29 goals against average.

Atlanta defenseman Mathieu Schneider assisted on the opening goal less than 4 minutes in to regulation as the Thrashers crushed the host Anaheim Ducks 8-4. Schneids has 4 assists over the last 5 games and now has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points on 44 games. For the 11th straight season and the 18th time on his career Schneider has reached 15+ helpers.



Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 25 of 27 shots faced to steer the Canucks to a 4-2 home win over the Montreal Canadiens. Luongo won for the 5th straight start and is now 16-7-5 on the season with .913 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average. The 5 consecutive wins is the most for Luongo since February 10-22, 2007 when he pulled off an identical streak in his first year with the 'Nucks.


Check in soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Friday February 6

There were a handful of games (5) on tap on Friday night with Former Islanders making impressions (good and bad, very bad) in 4 of those contests. Here is a look at the success and the sub-cess:

Columbus goaltender Wade Dubielewicz has yet to make a positive impact losing his second straight start as the Blue Jackets were dumped by the host Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1. Dubie surrendered 3 goals on 24 shots to fall to 0-2-0 on the season. He has a paltry .851 save percentage and a bloated 3.86 goals against average having surrendered 7 goals in less than 2 games worth of ice time.


Red hot winger Tim Connolly did it again for the Sabres scoring his 3rd game winning goal in the last 4 games as Buffalo edged the visiting Montreal Canadiens 3-2. TimCo now has 11 goals and 8 assists for 19 points on 19 games. The 3 game winning goals equals his output from last season's 48 game campaign and ties 2 other seasons for a career high. He now has 15 game winners on his career. Canadiens' d-man Roman Hamrlik scored the too-little-too-late goal with under 4 minutes remaining. Hamr now has 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists) on 51 games with 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) coming in the last 4 contests.

New Jersey backup goalie Kevin Weekes stopped 31 of 32 shots to lead the Devils to a 5-1 win over the host Atlanta Thrashers. Weekes has turned his season around winning his last 3 starts. He improved to 5-4-0 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average. He has given up only 1 goal in each of those last 3 starts. Receiving the secondary assist on the lone Atlanta goal was d-man Mathieu Schneider. Schneider now has 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points on 40 games and is only 2 helpers back of career #500.

New York Rangers' goaltender Stephen Valiquette suffered one of the most embarrassing losses of an goalies' career surrendering 10 goals on 39 shots as the Dallas Stars crushed the visiting Blueshirts 10-2. After entering the 3rd period down 4-2 the Rangers left the backup out to dry as the Stars brought a 6 goal onslaught. The loss dropped Vali to 5-4-1 on the season and raised his goals against average to 2.87 while dropping his save percentage to .909. It is hard to prove but this might very well be the worst loss ever by an FI goalie.

Check in soon for more updates.

Tuesday January 27

With the All-Star festivities over it is now grind time in the NHL for the 27 or so teams still in contention for a playoff spot. Very few teams are looking at riding out the season (i.e. the Islanders) but the next couple of weeks will either make many teams strong contenders or playoff wannabes. With the push to the postseason at hand Former Islanders are contributing and if Tuesday night was a sign of events to come, it could be good. FIs aided in 7 of 11 games making major impacts in most of those games. Let us take a look:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara notched the secondary assist on the game winning powerplay goal in OT as the Bruins edged the visiting Washington Capitals 3-2. Chara is riding a 4 game point-scoring streak in which he has compiled 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists). Chara has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points on 48 games and is 1 point shy of #300 on his career. For the 6th consecutive season Chara has reached the 30+ point plateau.

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood gave a fairly strong effort but the Columbus Blue Jackets got the better of the visiting Red Wings as they eked by them 3-2 in OT. Ozzie stopped 20 of 23 shots faced including 2 of 3 in OT but it was the third one that capped a hat trick for Jackets' forward Rick Nash. Osgood lost for the 3rd time in his last 4 games (1-1-2) and is now 15-3-6 on the season. His save percentage continues to hover in the subpar and is currently .883 while his goals against average dropped slightly to 3.21. The 6 OT losses equals his previous career high from 2006-07 season.

New York Rangers' backup backstopper Stephen Valiquette stopped 33 of 35 shots as the Blueshirts skipped past the visiting Carolina Hurricanes for a 3-2 victory. Vali recorded his first win of 2009 in 3 starts (1-1-1). The win broke a month and a half long winless streak dating back to December 17. Valiquette is now 5-3-1 on the season with a .929 save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average. Somewhat surprisingly, both of those statistics are head and shoulders above Rangers' starter Henrik Lundqvist.

Florida d-man scored a goal with just over 5 minutes remaining in the opening frame as the Panthers skittered by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 (popular score on Tuesday, eh?). The tally snapped a 3 game point-less streak. McCabe has 9 goals and 12 assists for 21 points on 37 games. He is 2nd only to Jay Bouwmeester on the Panthers for defensive scoring leader in goals and points.


Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron netted his first goal since January 13 snapping a 4 game point-less streak as the Wild thumped the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1. The tally was the deciding goal and came exactly a minute after the Leafs had tied the score at 1 a piece. MAB has 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points on 37 games. The game winner was Bergeron's first of the season and his first since January 13, 2008 while still with the Isles. MAB has 7 game winning goals on his career and has managed at least 1 winner in each of the last 5 seasons. Bergeron has also managed 5+ goals for 6 straight seasons. Scoring that lone goal for the Leafs was winger Jason Blake. He has 5 goals in the last 5 games and has notched 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points on 44 games. Blakey has already equaled his goal output from last season. For the 6th consecutive year Blake has reached the 15+ goal mark.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen was credited with the secondary assist on the opening goal as the visiting Anaheim Ducks crushed the Coyotes 7-3. Jokinen is riding a 4 game point streak in which he has notched 2 goals and 2 assists. He has 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) on 43 games. Jokinen is rapidly approaching 500 career points and should reach that mark in the next week or so. The helper came on the powerplay and was O-Jok's 14th point (5 goals, 9 assists) on the man advantage this season. Jokinen has 175 powerplay points (74 goals, 101 assists) on his career.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly joined in on the fun as the Sabres disemboweled the host Edmonton Oilers 10-2. Connolly scored 2 goals (1 powerplay, 1 shorthanded) and added an assist as 10 different Sabres recorded 2 or more points. TimCo now has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points on 14 games. Over the last 4 games Connolly has been on fire with 5 goals and 1 assist for 6 points. The powerplay and shorthanded tallies were Connolly's first of the season. He last scored an extra man goal on February 29, 2008 while his last shortie was December 8, 2007. TimCo now has 3 shorthanded goals on his career. A pair of Oilers also got in on the "fun". Winger Robert Nilsson scored a goal and added a powerplay helper. The multi-point effort was only the 2nd of the season for Nily who has 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points on 37 games. The the 2nd straight season and 3rd time on his career Nilsson has reached the 15+ point mark. Adding the secondary assist on the Oilers' powerplay goal was d-man Denis Grebeshkov. He has managed a point every other game with 22 points (4 goals, 18 assists) on 44 games. Greb is tied for 8th on Edmonton in points scoring currently tied with big offseason acquisition Erik Cole.

Check back soon for more updates and highlights at FIW!

Mid-Season FI Awards

If the 2008-09 NHL season were to end today these Former Islanders stand as the award winners. These awards credit both the excellent and regrettable. Enjoy:

Top Forward: Ryan Smyth (COL) Colorado winger Smyth, who played only 55 games last season due to injury, has managed perfect attendance so far this year and has been among the team's leaders. With injuries to staple players such as Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic it has become necessary for some players to step up and much of that credit is due to Smyth, Wojtek Wolski and Milan Hejduk. Smyth leads all players with 16 goals and is 2nd with 20 assists. He current leads all Avs with 36 points on 47 games. This season he has 4 point scoring streaks of 4+ games, a feat considering he had no streaks like this last season. Heading into the final stretch Smyth has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) over the last 8 games and is helping the Avs at least stay in contention. Smyth is also the leading point scoring among FIs league-wide.

Top Defenseman: Zdeno Chara (BOS) The choice for top d-man was so easy that a look down the FI roster yielded no competitor to Bruins' captain Zdeno Chara. With 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points on 47 games Chara has been an offensive force for Boston and he is not even the defensive scoring leader on the team! Chara is an impressive +22 and has racked up only a gentlemanly 56 penalty minutes. He is tied for the team lead in powerplay scores with 7 and has over half his points (17) on the man advantage. Surprisingly, Chara is also 2nd on the team in shots with 128 only 16 behind forward Phil Kessel who is sidelined with mononucleosis. Overall, Chara is a major reason why the Bruins have been so dominating so far this season.

Biggest Surprise: Denis Grebeshkov (EDM) While the Oilers have struggled to find consistency young d-man Grebeshkov has started to hit his stride. Greb is a surprise for a couple of reasons including his severely improved offensive play, his importance to the blueline and his overall maturity and dedication to conditioning. Grebeshkov has 4 goals and 17 assists for 21 points on 43 games blowing away his career point highs from last season. While he is by no means an defensive offensive leader on the powerful Oil blueline he has clearly found a place. As predicted earlier, Grebeshkov could garner some offer sheet interest this offseason since he becomes a Restricted Free Agent starting July 1.

Top Goaltender: None There are 4 FI goalies in the league right now (Osgood, Luongo, Valiquette and Weekes) and none of them deserve to receive this honor as of now. Two of those tenders (Vali and Weekes) are backups while the two starters (Ozzie and Luongo) have not had seasons to write home about. Luongo only recently returned from a groin injury suffered in mid-November and despite his All-Star status did not really play enough to give us a full picture. Ozzie, on the other hand, has split starting time with supposed backup Ty Conklin who has severely outplayed him. If the season did end today Ozzie would end with the worst single season save percentage and goals against average of his career and yet would be 12 games over .500! It is hard to reward success despite futility.

Biggest Disappointment: Mathieu Schneider (ATL) Thrashers' d-man Schneider has been a huge bust this season. Due to nagging injuries Schneids has suited up for only 35 of Atlanta's 48 games and has managed a meager 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points. His -10 is slightly improved from early season numbers but for a player on the verge of career assist #500 he is struggling. Now, we must credit some of this to the players around him, but Schneider is not off the hook for the downturn in his play. Schneider is in danger of not scoring 30+ for the first time in 11 seasons and that is the most disappointing part.

Come Back Player: Todd Bertuzzi (CGY) This choice might be controversial but a look at the stats says that Bertuzzi is probably the most improved FI on any roster. Brought into the Flames' fold to join and invigorate friend Jarome Iginla, Calgary currently leads the Northwest Division and looks like a team that is clicking. Though Bert's hot goal-scoring streak tailed off severely after October his assists have shot way up. Bertuzzi has 11 goals and 20 assists for 30 points on 41 games missing only 5 games this season due to illness. Bertuzzi has been especially helpful on the powerplay with 13 points on 5 goals and 8 assists. This could change but right now Bert has made his case as the biggest turnaround.

Most Likely to Not Have a Hot Second Half: Jason Blake (TOR) Word has it that Maple Leafs' winger Blake has not had a good working relationship with head coach Ron Wilson. Trade rumors seem to swirl around Blake like dust devils and it is unclear what the future holds for the diminutive scorer but as of late he has performed much better with 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) leading into the All-Star break including a recent hat trick/5 point night. Blakey has 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points on 43 games. Over the last 22 outings Blake has nearly a point per game with 11 goals and 10 assists. Blake has been a healthy scratch 4 times this season and if his play tails off at all in the coming weeks that time might be even further reduced. All told, Blake is not lined up to have a hot end to the season as the Leafs continue to putter well out of playoff contention.

Thank you and check back Wednesday for our next set of game recaps and highlights.

Friday January 9

As we rapidly approach the All-Star Break teams are battling for important points in the standings. Once that break comes we will have the clearest picture yet of who are the true contenders in each conference. Former Islanders are making valid contributions where they can and Friday was no exception. Five games were up for grabs and FIs made impacts in 2 of those tilts. Here is a quick look:

New York Rangers' backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette has had 2 starts in 2009 yet has not recorded a win. Yet all was not lost as Vali stopped 32 of 33 shots (4 in OT) and 2 of 3 in SO as the host Buffalo Sabres edged the Blueshirts 2-1. Valiquette put up a noble effort but was outdueled by Buffalo starter Ryan Miller who stopped an impressive 43 of 44 and was unbeatable in the SO frame. Vali is now 4-3-1 on the season with a healthy .928 save percentage and a slim and trim 2.19 goals against average. The OT loss was his first since March 21, 2008 - his last start of the 2007-08 campaign.

Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov scored the lone goal for his team, a powerplay netter, as the Oilers fell to the visiting San Jose Sharks 4-1. The goal was Greb's 2nd in the last 5 games and he now has 3 goals and 14 assists for 17 points on 37 games. He has an impressive 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) on the man advantage. Grebeshkov is currently 1 point behind his career high 18 from last season and looks to overtake that high mark in the next couple of games. The 3 goals equals his season high from last year.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Tuesday December 23-Sunday January 4

Former Islander Watch took a break (a long break) for the holiday season. We are back with updates from the last 2 weeks but to keep the tedium to a minimum we will be recapping specific player accomplishments not game recap formats. Here we go:

Philadelphia Flyers' winger Arron Asham had an assists over 2 games. Asham notched a helper on the lone Flyers' goal on December 26 as they fell to the host Chicago Blackhawks 6-1. Asham has not played since December 27. He has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points on 36 games.




Calgary Flames' defenseman Adrian Aucoin had 2 goals and an assist over the last 5 games. The points were in 3 consecutive games from December 26-31. The goal on the 26th was the game winner in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. The winner was the 15th of Aucoin's career. He now has 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points on 39 games.



Calgary Flames' winger Todd Bertuzzi had a productive stretch scoring 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points over 5 games. Bert notched the game winner in the Flames' 3-2 win over the host Nashville Predators on January 3. The winner was Bertuzzi's 3rd of the year and 33rd of his career. Bert now has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points on 39 games. For the 2nd straight season and 10th time on his career Bertuzzi has reached the 30+ point plateau. He is currently tied for 3rd on the Flames in points.

Toronto Maple Leafs' winger Jason Blake did okay for himself notching 2 goals and an assist for 3 points on 5 tilts. Blake scored a goal and added an assist during the Leafs' 3-1 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on January 3. Blakey has 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points on 35 games.




Boston Bruins' captain and d-man Zdeno Chara managed only a goal and an assist for 2 points on 5 contests. Both points came in the Bs' 5-2 victory over the host Pittsburgh Penguins on December 30. Chara now has 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points on 39 games.




Pittsburgh Penguins' winger Ruslan Fedotenko kept up his recent good play with 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points on 5 games. Fedo scored the lone goal in the Pens' 1-0 edging of the host New Jersey Devils on December 26. The game winner was Fedotenko's 3rd of the season and 28th of his career. Tank now has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points on 37 games. For the 8th straight season Fedotenko has reached the 10+ goal plateau. As well, it was the 6th consecutive season and 7th overall time that Fedo has reached 10+ assists. In all 8 of his seasons Fedotenko has managed 20+ points.

Edmonton Oilers' d-man Denis Grebeshkov notched points in only 1 of 5 games but it was a huge night. Greb scored a goal and added 3 assists for 4 points on December 31 as the Oil lost to the host Calgary Flames 6-4. Greb got involved in each of the team's goals for a career best single game effort. Grebeshkov now has 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points on 35 games. The goal was the 5th of his young career. Grebeshkov is currently tied for 1st on the team in +/- rating with a +8.

Montreal Canadiens' d-man Roman Hamrlik had 1 assist on 5 games. Hammer notched a shorthanded helper during the Habs' 5-2 victory over the host Florida Panthers on December 29. The shortie helper was Hamrlik's 2nd of the season and first since October 20. Hamrlik now has 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points on 27 games. Not to kill a dead horse but the shorthanded assist was an impressive #15 for Hammer's career.


Phoenix Coyotes' center Olli Jokinen had 2 goals and an assist for 3 points on 5 games. O-Jok even notched a goal against his old squad, the Isles, as the 'Yotes downed them 5-4 at home on January 2. Jokinen now has 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points on 34 games. Since the lockout Jokinen has played well against the Isles scoring 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) on 13 games including a 6 point (2 goal, 4 assist) effort against the Isles on March 17, 2007.

Washington Capitals' center Viktor Kozlov notched 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points on 5 games. Kozzer had 2 assists on December 30 as the Caps' downed the host Buffalo Sabres 4-2. Kozlov has 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points on 35 games. For the 12th consecutive season Kozzer has reached the 25+ point mark.



Florida Panthers' d-man Bryan McCabe had a productive run scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists for 5 points on 6 games. McCabe had a goal and an assist for 2 points on January 3 as the visiting Panthers thumped the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1. He now has 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points on 29 games. McCabe is currently 5th on the Panthers in points scored and only 2 points behind Jay Bouwmeester for defensive scoring leader. Jay-Bo has played in 10 more games than McCabe. Florida has done well when McCabe manages a point going 8-5-2 in those 15 games.

Edmonton Oilers' winger Robert Nilsson had a goal and an assist over the last 5 competitions. Nilsson notched a powerplay tally on December 31 as the Oil fell to the host Calgary Flames 6-4. He now has 5 goals and 7 assists for 12 points on 32 games. Half of his season points (6, 3 goals, 3 assists) have come with the man advantage.



Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood returned for a near 3 week hiatus due to injury (last game December 15) and continued his winning ways on January 3. Ozzie stopped 33 of 35 shots as the Wings edged the host Minnesota Wild 3-2. Osgood improved to 13-2-4 on the season with a 3.12 goals against average and an .880 save percentage. Ozzie has won 4 of his last 5 starts.


Dallas Stars' winger Mark Parrish scored 1 goal in 4 games. Parrish notched the game winning tally on New Year's Eve as the Stars knocked off the visiting New Jersey Devils 4-2. Parrish and 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points on 24 games this season. The winner was Parrish' 2nd of the season and the 39th of his career.



Columbus Blue Jackets' center Michael Peca scored a goal and added an assist for 2 points on 5 games. Peca notched the insurance goal as the Jacks blanked the host Anaheim Ducks 2-0 on December 31. Peca now has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points on 34 games.




Vancouver Canucks' winger Taylor Pyatt broke his foot on December 26 as they fell to the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 at home. Pyatt is out at least 4 weeks.







Pittsburgh Penguins' winger Miroslav Satan is struggling as of late and only had 1 assist over 5 games (really his last 6 games). Satan had a helper on January first as the Pens fell to the host Boston Bruins 4-2. Miro has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points on 39 games.




Colorado Avalanche winger Ryan Smyth netted a goal and added 2 assists for 3 points on 5 games. Smyth scored a goal and an assist on December 27 as the Avs downed the visiting Detroit Red Wings 4-3. He now has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points on 39 games. Smyth is currently 2nd on the team in goals and 3rd overall in points.



New York Rangers' backup goalie Stephen Valiquette lost in his only appearance of the last 3 weeks. Vali started the Blueshirts' January 3, a close 2-1 loss to the host Washington Capitals. Valiquette stopped 29 of 31 shots in 59 minutes of ice time. The loss dropped him to 4-3-0 on the season with a 2.36 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and 1 shutout.



Florida Panthers' winger Richard Zednik scored 1 goal in 5 games. Zed scored a powerplay goal on January 3 as the Panthers thumped the host Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1. Zednik now has 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points on 28 games. For the 11th consecutive season Zednik has reached 5+ goals.




Check back soon as we resume normal daily recaps here at FIW.