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.

Friday April 3

There were half a dozen (6) games up for grab on 2nd to last Friday of the 2008-09 NHL season. Former Islanders aided in 5 of those contests. Here is a quick peek at the action:

Philadelphia winger Arron Asham assisted on the Flyers' 2nd goal as they bashed the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 8-5. With 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 3 games Asham now has 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points on 72 games. For the 5th time Ash has notched 10 or more assists on a season. For the first time since December 10-19, 2005 Asham has recorded points in 3 or more consecutive games. During that particular span, while still with the Isles, he had 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) over a 4 game stretch.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly notched 3 assists including the singular assist on the game winning OT goal as the Sabres edged the host Washington Capitals 5-4. With 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) over the last 5 games Connolly now has 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) on 42 games. For the 2nd straight season and 5th time on his career Connolly has reached the 25+ assist mark. Caps' forward Viktor Kozlov recorded 2 assists including 1 on the powerplay. Koz snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points on 62 games. For the 3rd straight season and 6th time on his career Kozzer has recorded 25 or more helpers.

New Jersey backup goaltender Kevin Weekes, who was meant to give starter Martin Brodeur, suffered a leg injury only 1 minute into the 2nd Period as the Devils pulled out a 5-4 OT win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. Weekes received no decision on the start and remains 7-5-0 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average. The start was only the 2nd for Weekes since March 18.


Florida winger Richard Zednik had the primary assist on the lone Panthers' goal as they fell to the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 3-1 putting a serious dent in their playoff hopes. Zed now has 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points on 65 games.





Minnesota defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron had a powerplay assist on the game winning goal as the Wild blanked the wildly inconsistent and visiting Calgary Flames 4-0 as the Wild continue to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. MAB snapped an 8 game point-less streak and now has 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points on 67 games. The powerplay helper was the 11th of the season for Bergeron, a new single season high for the offensive d-man.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps 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.

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.

Thursday February 19

There were an impressive 12 games on the NHL schedule Thursday night. Former Islanders helped out in 7 of those games with 12 FIs making the boxscore for some accomplishment. Here is a look at the busy FI night:

Back for the only the 3rd game since being injured in early January winger Ruslan Fedotenko is again making an impact for Pittsburgh. Fedo notched 2 assists including the sole helper on the game winning goal as the Penguins edged the visiting Montreal Canadiens in a FI heavy game. Fedo snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points on 42 games. Earlier teammate Miroslav Satan staked the Pens to a 2-1 lead with his 15th goal of the season. Along with his 18 assists Satan now has 33 points on 59 games. For the 13th consecutive season Satan has scored 15+ goals. The netter snapped a 7 game goal-less streak. Playing in his first game with the Habs since being traded from the Atlanta Thrashers earlier in the week, d-man Mathieu Schneider scored a powerplay goal that briefly knotted the score at 2 a piece. The goal snapped a 12 game drought and gives Schneids 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points on 46 games. In his first 2 games with Montreal he has 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist. Schneider now has 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) over his last 7 games. For the 19th straight season Schneider has managed to net 5 or more goals. Fellow d-man Roman Hamrlik assisted on the Habs' 3rd goal. The helper snapped a 4 game point-less streak and Hamr now has 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points on 58 games.

Philadelphia tough guy Arron Asham had the primary assist on the opening goal as the Flyers manhandled the visiting Buffalo Sabres 6-3. Asham has had 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 6 games and now has 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points on 52 games. For the 6th straight season Asham has reached 10 or more points. Assisting on the 3rd Buffalo goal, a powerplay tally, was center Tim Connolly. TimCo has 11 goals an 14 assists for 25 points on 25 games. For the 2nd straight season and 7th time on his career Connolly has reached 25 or more points.

Make it 7 in a row for Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo as he stopped 25 of 27 shots en route to a 5-2 Canucks' thumping over the host Ottawa Senators. Luongo has not been overwhelming but his has been consistent, as has been the entire Canucks' offense, en route to a 7-0-0 over the last 7 starts. Lu is now 18-7-5 on the season.



New Jersey backup goalie Kevin Weekes kept up his good play stopping 39 of 41 shots and 2 of 3 in the SO as the Devils edged the host Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. Weekes has won his last 5 starts surrendering no more than 2 goals in any of those contest. He is now 7-4-0 on the season with a .924 save percentage and a 2.32 goals against average. His 7 wins surpasses his total of 6 from the last 2 seasons while with the New York Rangers and Devs.

Toronto winger Jason Blake had an assist and a SO goal in the 2nd of 3 rounds but it was largely wasted as the Maple Leafs fell to the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. Blakey has 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points on 54 games. Blake is enjoying a 3 game point streak in which he has compiled 4 points on 2 goals and 2 assists.



Calgary d-man Adrian Aucoin netted the game winning goal with 70 seconds remaining in OT as the Flames eked by the host Minnesota Wild 3-2. Aucoin now has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points on 58 games. For the 2nd straight season and 6th time on his career Aucoin has reached double digit goals. The last time Aucoin had 10 or more goals in back-to-back seasons was between 1998-99 and 1999-2000 while still a member of the Canucks. Winger Todd Bertuzzi recorded the primary assist on that goal. Bert has 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) on 53 games. Over the last 3 tilts he has 5 assists.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen had an assist and missed on his attempt in round #6 of 8 in the SO as the Coyotes edged the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 4-3. O-Jok has 17 goals and 20 assists for 40 points on 54 games. He has 3 helpers over the last 4 goals and remains only 2 points shy of career #500.




Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Wednesday February 11

There were 9 games up for grabs on Wednesday night with Former Islanders putting up support in 6 of those contests. As the NHL continues to plug along here in the midseason FIs are kicking in their help. Here is a quick recap:

New Jersey backup goaltender Kevin Weekes stopped 23 of 25 shots as he and the Devils downed the Isles 4-2 from Trenton. Weekes has won his last 4 starts surrendering only 5 goals over that span. He is now 6-4-0 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.37 goals against average. After falling to 2-4-0 by mid-December, Weekes has turned it on in January and February with 4 wins, 0 losses, a .952 save percentage and a 1.38 goals against average.

Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan had an assist on the lone Penguins' goal of regulation as they eked by the visiting San Jose Sharks for a 2-1 SO win. Satan snapped a 4 game point-less streak and an 8 game assist-less streak with the helper. He now has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points on 56 games.




Buffalo center Tim Connolly had a powerplay assist on the team's lone goal as the Sabres were felled by the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-1. Connolly now has points in 4 straight games to the tune of 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists). He has averaged a point per game with 21 (11 goals, 10 assists) on 21 games. For the 2nd straight season and 7th time on his career Connolly now has 10+ assists.


Colorado winger Ryan Smyth scored both of his team's goals as the Avalanche were edged by the host Minnesota Wild 3-2. One of the 2 Smyth tallies came on the man advantage. He received the 2nd star honor for the effort and now has 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points on 55 games. The scores snapped an 8 game goal-less streak after Smyth had reached career #300 on January 18. Over the last 5 games he has 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists. He currently leads all Avs in assists and points.

Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson had the primary assist on the opening goal, a powerplay netter. as the Oilers crushed the visiting Montreal Canadiens 7-2. Nilsson has had 1 assist in each of the last 4 games and now has 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points on 44 games. He has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) on the man advantage this season. Recording the primary assist on Edmonton's 5th goal, a shorthanded tally, was winger/defenseman Jason Strudwick. The helper snapped a 10 game point-less streak and Strud now has 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points on 44 games. The shortie assist was Strudwick's first since the 1998-99 season while with the Vancouver Canucks and was only the 2nd such helper on his career. The assist was the first for Strudwick this year snapping a 16 game drought dating back to December 22.

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi opened the scoring only 2:55 in to play as the Flames fell just short of the host Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in OT. With the score Bert now has 36 points from 14 goals and 22 assists on 49 games. The 14 goals equals his output from his 68 game campaign with the Anaheim Ducks last season.



Check back soon for more updates 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.

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 16

There were a half dozen games on the NHL tap Friday night. Former Islanders are revving up the contributions and tipped in their help in 4 of those tilts. Here is a look at the FI workload:

New Jersey backup goaltender Kevin Weekes outplayed one of the best goalies in the game to lead the Devils to a 2-1 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Weekes stopped 26 of 27 shots faced versus the 26 of 28 stopped by rookie goaltending phenom Steve Mason. The win was Weekes' 2nd in a row, the second straight in which he has surrendered only 1 goal. The victory lifted him to 4-4-0 on the season with a .914 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average. The back-to-back wins were a first for Weekes since December 10-12, 2006 while still a member of the New York Rangers.

Atlanta defenseman Mathieu Schneider has received a lot of flak recently for his lack of production. He did something to fix that as the Thrashers edged the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in OT for a home win. Schneids assisted on the Thrashers' 2nd goal as they came back from a 3-0 deficit to pull off the win. The helper snapped a 10 game point-less streak and a 15 game assist-less stretch. He now has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points on 32 games.

Florida d-man Bryan McCabe netted a powerplay goal, the Panthers' first of the game, as they fell to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the SO. McCabe now has 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points on 35 games. Five of his 8 goals have goals have come with the man advantage. For the 13th consecutive year in his 13 year career McCabe has reached the 20+ point mark.


Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov was credited with the primary assist on the game winning goal as the Oilers edged the host Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Greb now has 3 goals and 17 assists for 20 points on 41 games. He has had assists in 3 straight contests and has reached the 20 point mark for the first time in his young career. Grebeshkov is currently 4th among Edmonton defensemen in all major offensive categories.


Check back soon for more updates, recaps and highlights 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.

Check here soon for more updates at FIW.