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.




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Thursday February 12

There were 7 games on the NHL rotation Thursday night. Former Islanders lent their support in 4 of those contest. Here is a quick recap:

Florida winger Richard Zednik scored his 4th goal in as many games notching the first insurance goal as the Panthers thumped the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-0. During his current 4 game point scoring streak Zed has 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists). He now has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points on 43 games. Zed has been lights out with 4 goals on his last 9 shots (a .444 shooting percentage).


Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stood up to the challenge stopping 21 of 23 shots as the Red Wings doubled up on the visiting Minnesota Wild for a 4-2 home victory. On the verge of career loss #200, Ozzie has avoided that mark by winning his last 3 starts. With the win he improved to 18-4-6 on the season. Yet despite the rather impressive record, he has less than adequate stats with a 3.25 goals against average and an .881 save percentage. Clearly, it seems, the Wings' offense has carried Osgood through most of the season.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen came out of hiding to record an assist as the Coyotes just barely fell to the visiting Vancouver Canucks 4-3. The helper snapped a 6 game point-less streak and now gives O-Jok 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) on 50 games. Jokinen, who early in the season was challenging winger Shane Doan for the team lead in every major category, has fallen off the path and sits 15 points behind the Doan. Powering the Canucks to the win was goalie Roberto Luongo who stopped 25 of 28 shots. After going winless in 5 games Luongo has turned it around with victories in each of his last 4 starts. Luongo is now 15-7-5 on the season with a .913 save percentage, a 2.62 goals against average and an impressive 5 shutouts.

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi had the primary assist on the game winning powerplay tally as the Flames blanked the host Los Angeles Kings 2-0. With the helper Bert snapped a 4 game assist-less run. He now has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points on 50 games. Bertuzzi is currently 4th on the Flames in points but is sporting a regrettable -12 rating. He has notched 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) this season on the man advantage.

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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.



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Monday February 9

There were only 2 games on the Monday night schedule with a lone Former Islander occurrence of note. Here is the FI happening:

Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik had secondary assists on each of the Canadiens' 2 goals as they were thumped by the host Calgary Flames 6-2. Hamrlik's play has really taken an upswing recently with 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over the last 4 games. Hamr now has 4 goals and 17 assists for 21 points on 53 games. For the 11th straight season and 16th time on his career Hamrlik has reached 20+ points.

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Sunday February 8

There were a measly 4 games on Sunday around the NHL. Former Islanders, however, did not see it fit to avoid participation and were factors in 3 of those tilts. Here is a summation of the competitions:

Atlanta defenseman Mathieu Schneider had a powerplay assist on the too-little-too-late goal as the Thrashers were edged by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 3-2. Schneids now has 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points on 41 games. The helper brings Schneider within 1 assist of career #500.




For the second straight night Oilers' FIs Denis Grebeshkov and Robert Nilsson tallied assists. For the second straight night the Oilers fell to their opponent. Edmonton lost in SO to the host Minnesota Wild 3-2. Winger Nilsson had the secondary assist on the late tying goal but was stopped on assist in the 2nd frame of the 4 round shootout. Nilsson now has 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points on 43 games. Nilsson has an assist in each of the last 3 games and has managed a point per game over the last 7 with 1 goal and 6 assists. For the 2nd straight season and 3rd time on his career Nily has reached the 20+ point plateau. Defenseman Grebeshkov assisted on the opening powerplay tally only 6:26 in to play. Greb has 4 goals and 21 assists for 25 points on 50 games. The 25 points on a season is the first for the young d-man.

Dallas winger Mark Parrish scored the game winner with less than 5 minutes remaining in the 1st period as the Stars bumped the visiting Nashville Predators 4-1. Parrish suited up for the first time since January 21 after being sidelined by the flu. He snapped a 4 game goal-less streak and now has 7 goals and 4 assists for 11 points on 32 games. The winner was the 3rd of the season for Parrish and the 40th of his career.

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Saturday February 7

There were a ginormous 12 games on tap Saturday as the NHL was buzzing with midseason action. Former Islanders did not shy away from providing support playing roles in 6 of those tilts. Here is a quick look:

Boston forward Petteri Nokelainen assist on the Bruins' 2nd goal as they were edged by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in OT. Nokelainen snapped a 10 game assist-less stretch and now has 2 helpers on 32 games this season. Tough Philly winger Arron Asham assisted on the Flyers' 2nd goal as they rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd Period. Asham snapped an 8 game point-less and assist-less run with the helper and now has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points on 47 games.

A pair of Oilers' FIs notched assists as defenseman Denis Grebeshkov aided on the team's 2nd goal and winger Robert Nilsson on their 3rd as Edmonton was deconstructed by the host Detroit Red Wings 8-3. Greb snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 4 goals and 20 assists for 24 points on 49 games. The d-man keeps pushing his career highs to new marks and now has 20 assists for the first time on a season. Nilsson has a point per game over the last 6 (1 goal, 5 assists) and now has 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points on 42 games.

Florida winger Richard Zednik assisted on the lone Panthers' goal as they were felled by the host Washington Capitals 3-1. Zed now has 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points on 41 games. For the 9th straight season and 10th time on his career Zednik has reached the 20+ point mark. Over the last 2 games he has notched 3 points on 1 goal and 2 helpers.



Center Tim Connolly assisted on Buffalo's 1st goal as the Sabres were edged by the host Ottawa Senators 3-2 in SO. Connolly now has 11 goals and 9 assists for 20 points on 20 games. For the 2nd straight season and the 7th time on his career TimCo has reached 20 or more points. Over the last 7 games he has been especially potent with 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) including 3 game winners. Having played less than half the games Connolly is already 6th on the Sabres in goals scored only 1 behind the 4th highest scorer. Connolly also scored on his SO attempt in the 3rd of the 4 rounds.

Winger Ryan Smyth had the secondary assist on the lone Avalanche goal as the Avs fell to the host St. Louis Blues 4-1. Smyth now has 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points on 53 games. He has notched at least 1 helper in each of the last 3 games to the tune of 4 assists.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo had an awesome game stopping 36 of 39 shots as the Canucks downed the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 7-3. Luongo has won his last 2 starts after going winless in 4 straight and is now 13-7-5 on the season. He has been receiving a fair amount of offensive support as of late with the 'Nucks scoring 11 goals against the 6 he has surrendered. Receiving a rare assist, on the game winner nonetheless, was d-man Rob Davison. He snapped a 10 game assist-less and point-less run and now has 2 helpers on 22 games. Sadly, the 2 helpers are the most Davison has recorded in a season since the 2006-07 campaign while still with the San Jose Sharks.

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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.

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