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.

Tuesday February 17

There were 7 games on tap Tuesday night as 14 teams battled for midseason points. The chase for playoff spots is becoming furious and each win seems to be a matter of pride for most teams. Former Islanders are no strangers to helping recently and were involved in 5 of those games. Here is a quick recap of their efforts:

Buffalo center Tim Connolly had 2 assists including on the game winner and a powerplay helper as the Sabres downed the host Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Connolly, who recently saw a 5 game point streak snapped, got back on the boxscore and now has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) on 24 games. Over the last 7 outings he has 8 points on 2 goals and 6 assists. He has 7 multi-point games this season and despite having already missed most of the season is already 7th among Sabres players in points. Assisting on the lone Leafs' goal, a powerplay effort, was winger Jason Blake. He now has 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points on 53 games. For the 6th straight season Blakey has reached the 45+ point mark. The extra man helper was his 10th of the season and for the 3rd time in the last 3 years Blake has reached that mark equaling his prior single season highs.

Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara had a powerplay helper on his team's 4th goal as the Bruins heartily defeated the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. Chara now has 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points on 58 games. Chara now has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists) with the man advantage this season making it 4 straight seasons hitting the 20+ mark in powerplay points.



Florida winger Richard Zednik kept up his hot play with a powerplay goal and an assist as the Panthers blanked the visiting New Jersey Devils 4-0. Zed now has 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points on 46 games. Over the last 7 games he has 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points. For the 2nd straight season and 9th time on his career Zednik has reached the 25+ point mark. Assisting on the game winning goal was d-man Bryan McCabe. He snapped a 5 game pointless streak and also has 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) on 47 games. For the 8th time on his career has has recorded 25 or more points on a season. For the 9th consecutive season and 12th time on his career he has notched 15+ helpers.

Colorado winger Ryan Smyth scored his team's 2nd goal as the Avalanche pulled off a 3-2 OT win over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Smyth has 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points on 58 games. Smyth is 2nd on the Avs in goals scored and 1st in assists and points.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 38 of 41 shots in the first 65 minutes and all 3 shots faced in the SO as the Canucks edged the host Calgary Flames 4-3. Luongo has won his last 6 starts while surrendering just under 3 goals per game, a fairly unimpressive figure. Unlike prior winning streaks by Luongo we have not seen shutouts or overwhelming flashes of brilliance, just consistency. Luongo is now 17-7-5 on the season with a .914 save percentage and a 2.61 goals against average. This is the longest winning streak for Luongo since December 26, 2006 to January 7, 2007 while in his first season with the 'Nucks. During that streak Luongo won 7 straight starts and similarly racked up no shutouts. Missing on his shot in the 3rd Round of the shootout was Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Traded: Mathieu Schneider

The Atlanta Thrashers traded veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider on Tuesday to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2009 2nd Round pick and a 2010 3rd Round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. Schneider returns to the team that originally picked him 44th overall in the 1987 Draft. Schneids played parts of 7 seasons with the Habs including a Stanley Cup win during the 1992-93 season before winding his way between the Islanders, Maple Leafs, Rangers, Kings, Red Wings, Ducks and Thrashers. On 44 games this season with Atlanta he has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points and a shockingly bad -10 rating. A 1,241 game veteran we wish Mathieu the best as he returns to his original squad.

Injured: Denis Grebeshkov

The Edmonton Oilers placed defenseman Denis Grebeshkov on the Injured Reserve list Thursday. The d-man suffered a "lower body injury" during the 2nd Period of the Oil's 7-2 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens last week. Over 51 games this season Greb has 25 points on 4 goals and 21 assists. He is 8th on the team in point scoring and 4th among Edmonton in points. We wish Denis a speedy recovery.

Monday February 16

It was a holiday game day on Monday as 12 teams faced off in 6 games around the NHL. Former Islanders must have been taking the day off as well since only one FI made a noteworthy contribution. Let us take a look:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres assisted on his team's 2nd goal as the Blue Jackets were edged by the visiting Dallas Stars 3-2 in the SO. Torres has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 4 games and now has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points on 27 games. For the 6th straight season Torres has recorded 5 or more helpers.



Check in soon for more updates 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.

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.