Wednesday April 8

There were a pathetically low 2 games on the final Wednesday of the 2008-09 NHL regular season. Former Islanders, however, took part in both of those contests. Here is a quick look at the FI night:

Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on the opening goal, the lone Maple Leafs' score, as the visiting Buffalo Sabres won 3-1. Blake now has 25 goals and 37 assists for 62 points on 76 games. The helper was a huge one for Blakey who now has 400 points on his career (174 goals, 226 assists) on 666 career games. With 3 assists over the last 3 games Blake is literally having the 2nd best season of his career behind only his final season with the Isles in 2006-07 when he recorded 69 points on 40 goals and 29 assists. The assist was also a big one for Blakey as it equaled his single season high from last season, his first with the Leafs.

Columbus winger Raffi Torres assisted on the Blue Jackets' 1st goal as the Jacks pulled off a come-from-behind 4-3 SO win over the host Chicago Blackhawks to secure their first ever playoff berth. Torres now has 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points on 49 games. He has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 3 games and has reached the 20 point mark for the 4th time on his career and the first time since 2006-07 while still with the Edmonton Oilers.

Check back soon for more at FIW as we are now down to the last 4 games of the season.

Tuesday April 7

So the final Tuesday of the 2008-09 NHL season was a wild one with 26 teams facing off in 13 high energy contests. For some teams these matchups could mean the difference between still being in the playoff hunt or even moving up or down in playoff positions. Here is a look at the Former Islander contributions which spanned 6 tilts:

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov scored a goal as the Capitals doubled up on the host Atlanta Thrashers for a 4-2 win. With his 3rd point (1 goal, 2 assists) in the last 3 games Kozlov has pushed his stats up. The netter snapped a 7 game goal-less streak. Kozzer now has 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points on 64 games.



Toronto forward Jeff Hamilton scored the game winning goal midway through the opening period as the Maple Leafs thumped the host New Jersey Devils 4-1. Hammy snapped a 3 game point-less streak and a 7 game goal-less streak and now has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) on 15 games. The game winner was the 1st of the season for Hamilton and the 6th of his career making it 3 straight seasons with at least one winner. Assisting on the first insurance goal was winger Jason Blake. Blakey now has 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points on 74 games. For only the 2nd time on his career Blake has reached the 60+ point mark. He is only 2 points shy of career #400.

Boston defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara had a powerplay goal with only 9 seconds remaining in the 2nd Period but all was for naught as the Bruins fell to the host Ottawa Senators 3-2. The goal was a big one for Chara as it was his 18th of the season setting a new single season high for the offensively gifted blueliner. Chara now has 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points on 79 games. His 10th powerplay score of the season also equals a prior single season high from his 2005-06 campaign with the Sens.

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored a goal and added an assist on the game winner as the Penguins downed the host Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. Fedo now has 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points on 63 games. For the 2nd straight season and 7th time on his career Fedotenko has recorded 15+ goals. For only the 4th time Fedo has reached the 35+ point mark. Over the last 5 games he has been particularly effective with 8 points on 3 goals and 5 assists.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov assisted on the lone Oilers' goal as they were felled by the visiting Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Greb now has 7 goals and 30 assists for 37 points on 70 games. He has reached the 30 assist mark for the first time on a season and each point has pushed his single season highs up.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo had a fabulous game stopping 46 of 47 shots, a literal barrage, as the Canucks downed the visiting rival Calgary Flames 4-1. Luongo snapped a 3 game winless streak and is now 31-13-7 on the season with a 2.43 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Assisting on the lone Flames' goal was center Olli Jokinen. O-Jok snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points on 74 games. In 17 games with the Flames Jokinen has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) but has been wildly inconsistent recording points in only 6 of those contests.

Check back soon with FIW as we wind down the regular season and prepare for the playoff push.

Monday April 6

There were 3 games on the NHL schedule as the final week of the 2008-09 NHL season officially kicked off. Former Islanders helped out in 2 of those contests. Here is a quick look:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood was nearly perfect stopping 32 of 33 shots as the Red Wings thumped the host Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Ozzie has won his last 2 starts and is now 26-8-7 on the season. He has raised his save percentage slightly to .887 while dropping his goals against average to a slightly more respectable 3.10.



Ottawa defenseman Chris Campoli opened the scoring midway through the 2nd Period as the Senators edged the host Montreal Canadiens 3-2. With points in 4 straight games (2 goals, 2 assists) Campy now has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points on 72 games. Since joining Ottawa Campoli has 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points on 21 games. The goal was #25 of Campy's career as he continues to push his single season high in netters even higher. For only the 2nd time, and first since his 2005-06 rookie campaign with the Isles, Campoli has reached the 30+ plateau. Assisting on that powerplay tally was center Mike Comrie. He snapped a 6 game point-less streak and now has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points on 59 games. In 18 games with the Sens Comrie has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) including 3 powerplay helpers. Assisting on Montreal's 2nd goal, a short-lived leading scored, was d-man Roman Hamrlik. He has 3 assists over the last 2 games and now has 5 goals and 26 assists for 31 points on 77 games.

Check in soon with FIW for more updates as we wind down the 2008-09 NHL regular season.

Sunday April 5

There were 6 games on tap on Sunday, the 2nd to last of the 2008-09 NHL season. Former Islanders helped out in 4 of those half dozen tilts. Here is a summation of the FI activities:

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win as the Red Wings downed the visiting Minnesota Wild 3-2 seriously impacting the Wild's playoff dreams. Ozzie is now 25-8-7 on the season. For the 2nd straight season and 9th time on his career Ozzie has recorded 25 or more wins.




Florida defenseman Bryan McCabe scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Panthers' charge as they doubled up on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins for a 4-2 victory. McCabe received the 1st star honor for his effort. Big Mc now has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points on 65 games.




Anaheim center Petteri Nokelainen scored a shorthanded goal as the Ducks were edged by the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2. Noky snapped a 5 game point-less streak and now has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 48 games this season. Since joining the Ducks Nokelainen has netted 4 goals and added a helper for 5 points on 15 games. The shortie was the first of Nokelainen's young career.


Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped only 22 of 26 shots and took the loss as they Canucks were downed by the lowly visiting Colorado Avalanche 4-1. Lu is on a small slide with an 0-2-1 record over the last 3 starts. Luongo is now 29-13-7 on the season as the 'Nucks continue to battle for the Northwest Division crown.



Check back soon at FIW.

Saturday April 4

The 2nd to last Saturday of the 2008-09 NHL season was an active one as teams continue to battle for and secure playoff spots. Former Islanders helped out in 6 of the 11 tilts of the night. Here is a recap of the FI efforts:

Ottawa defenseman Chris Campoli had the primary assist on his team's 2nd goal as the Senators edged the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in SO. Campy now has assists in 3 straight games meaning he has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points on 71 games. Since joining the Sens via trade Campoli has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points on 20 games.



Buffalo center Tim Connolly had the secondary assist on the too-little-too-late goal as the Sabres were felled by the visiting New Jersey Devils 3-2 putting a serious dent in their playoff hopes. TimCo now has 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points on 43 games, an impressive point-per-game pace for the oft-injured centerman. With less than a handful of games remaining in the season Connolly is only 3 assists from 200 on his career.


Montreal d-man Roman Hamrlik had 2 assists, including 1 powerplay, as the Canadiens thumped the host Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. Hamr snapped a 6 game point-less streak and now has 5 goals and 25 assists for 30 points on 76 games. For the 8th time Hamrlik has managed 25 or more helpers and for the 9th time he has reached the 30+ point mark. Assisting on the opening goal, also a powerplay score, was d-man Mathieu Schneider. He has a point-per-game over the last 6 outings (1 goal, 5 assists) and now has 8 goals and 23 assists for 31 points on 65 games. In literally half the games (21) with the Habs as compared to Atlanta (44) Schneids has past his offensive support from the first half of the season. With the Canadiens Schneider has 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) while with the Thrashers he had 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists). Receiving an assist on the first Leafs' goal was winger Jason Blake. He now has 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) on 73 games.

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko assisted on both his team's goals as the Penguins fell to the host Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in OT in a battle of 2 playoff contenders. Fedo now has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) over the last 3 games. He has 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points on 60 games. For the 4th time in his career Fedotenko has reached 20 or more assists.



Columbus winger Raffi Torres had an assist on the game tying goal as the host Nashville Predators downed the Blue Jackets 5-4 in SO. Torres has a goal and an assist over the last 2 games. Torres now has 12 goals and 6 assists for 18 points on 46 games.





Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov had an even strength goal as the Oilers downed the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-3. Greb now has 7 goals and 28 assists for his first 35 point season. The goal was a big one for the young defenseman as it was the 10th of his career. Taking the loss in net for the 'Nucks was goaltender Roberto Luongo. He stopped 20 of only 24 shots in 60 minutes of ice time. Luongo is now 29-12-7 on the season and is a subpar 0-1-1 over the last 2 starts.

Check back soon.

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.

Injury: Ryan Smyth

Did you really think Colorado winger Ryan Smyth could make it through all 82 games? Ha. The winger has been shut down for the last 5 games of the season with a fractured right hand. However Smyth did have a good season and currently leads the Avalanche in points with 59 (26 goals, 33 assists) in 77 games. We look forward to seeing Smyth return healthy next season. Get healed soon Ryan!