UFA Signing: Marc-Andre Bergeron

After losing veteran defenseman Andrei Markov for at least a month the Montreal Canadiens immediately sent out for some support. On Tuesday they signed Former Islander blueliner and unrestricted free agent Marc-Andre Bergeron to a 1 year deal. MAB played 72 games for Minnesota last year notching 14 goals (7 powerplay) and 18 assists for 32 points, a semi-resurgence after a trade from the Isles to Anaheim the season before landed the hard shooter in the minors. Bergeron has played in 339 games scoring 62 goals (36 powerplay) a 98 assists for 160 points. He has suited up for the Oilers, Isles, Ducks and Wild before joining his second Canadian squad. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. We wish Marc-Andre the best on his new team.

Friday April 10

There were 4 games on tap on the final Friday of the 2008-09 NHL season with Former Islanders stepping up to help in 3 of those match ups. Here is a quick summation of the FI action:

Minnesota defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron scored 2 goals, including the game winning powerplay tally, as the Wild crushed the visiting Nashville Predators 8-4. The netters snapped an 11 game goal-less streak and now gives MAB 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points on 71 games. The powerplay scored was his 6th this season with the extra man while the winner was his 3rd of the year and the 9th of his career.


Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov had a pair of assists on insurance goals as the Oilers thumped the visiting Calgary Flames 5-1. Greb has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 3 games and now has 7 goals and 32 assists for 39 points on 72 games. Greb has shined for the Oil and is 6th on the squad in points scored. Assisting on the lone Flames' goal was center Olli Jokinen. He has 2 assists over the last 2 games and now has 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points on 76 games. Despite putting up what appears to be an impressive 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 18 games with the Flames O-Jok has notched a point in only 8 of those contests and over that span the Flames have compiled a 7-11-0 record.

Anaheim forward Petteri Nokelainen assisted on his team's first goal as the Ducks pulled off a 4-3 SO win over the visiting Dallas Stars. Noky now has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) on 50 games but has stepped it up since joining Anaheim managing 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points on 17 games. Nokelainen has set a new single season high in helpers with 5 this season.


Check back soon for more updates and recaps as we approach the end of the regular season at FIW.

Sunday March 15

There were 7 games on the schedule on Sunday with Former Islanders helping out in 4 of those competitions. Here is a look as the NHL steamrolls towards the playoffs:

Winger Bill Guerin put up a big effort scoring a goal and adding 2 assists as the Penguins surpassed the visiting Boston Bruins 6-4. The recently acquired winger has been a boon for Pittsburgh with 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) on 6 games. Billy G now has 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) on 67 games this season. It was the 2nd 3 point night for Guerin since joining the Pens a feat he had not accomplished all season with the Isles. Assisting on Boston's 2nd goal was defenseman Zdeno Chara. He has had 1 assist in each of his last 3 games and now has 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points on 71 games.

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood shut down the hottest backstopper and one of the most on teams in the league as he blanked the host Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0. The goose egg was Osgood's 2nd in the last 4 games after not recording one in the first 31 starts of the season. The shutout was the 49th of his career. Ozzie is 22-6-7 on the season.



Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron scored his team's final goal as the Wild were downed by the host St. Louis Blues 5-3. MAB has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 4 games and now has 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points on 59 games.





Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo notched yet another win stopping 18 of 20 shots as the Canucks doubled up on the Colorado Avalanche for a 4-2 home victory. Over his last 17 starts Luongo has been red hot with a 14-2-1 record. He is 25-9-6 on the season. Lu has now recorded 25 or more wins for the 5th straight season. Recording the game winning goal for the 'Nucks was winger Taylor Pyatt who has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 4 games. He now has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) on 60 games this season. The game winner was the 1st of the season for T-Py and the 14th of his career. The last time Pyatt had the winning tally was on March 15, 2008 - the second-to-last game of last season. Recording one of the 2 Avs' goals was winger Ryan Smyth. He snapped a 3 game point-less stretch and now has 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points on 70 games. For the 7th time on his career Smyth has reached the oft-ellusive 25 goal mark.

Check in soon for more updates at FIW.

Thursday March 12

There were a whopping 13 games on the schedule on Thursday night with Former Islanders aiding in an impressive 7 contests. FIs are trying to push their respective teams into the playoff fray as March speeds away. Here is a look at their efforts:

Calgary's top center, Olli Jokinen, scored 2 goals in regulation and capped the game off with the deciding goal in the SO as the Flames edged the host Detroit Red Wings 6-5. O-Jok was of course recognized with the first star honor for his outstanding effort. In 5 games since being traded to the Flames Jokinen has scored 5 goals. On the season he has 47 points (26 goals, 21 assists) on 62 games. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has notched 25 or more goals. Assisting on Calgary's 2nd goal was defenseman Adrian Aucoin. With the helper he snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points on 68 games.

Buffalo center Tim Connolly assisted on his team's opening goal only 3:04 into play as the Sabres downed the visiting Florida Panthers 3-1. Ending a mini-2 game slide, Connolly has 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points on 34 games. In a fraction of the time of his teammates, TimCo has moved up to a tie for 6th on the Sabres in scoring. He is currently tied with winger Ales Kotalik in every scoring category yet has played 22 less games than him.

Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on the Maple Leafs' lone goal as they were bested by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Blake has had assists in back-to-back games and now has 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points on 65 games. Blake is only 9 points shy of career #400 and could foreseeable reach the feat by the close of the season.



Edmonton winger Robert Nilsson scored his team's 3rd goal as the Oilers were downed by the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 4-3 in OT. Nily snapped a painfully long 15 game goal-less streak and an 8 game point-less streak with the tally. Nilsson had not found the back of the net since January 27. He now has 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points on 53 games. The goal was the 25th of Nilsson's young career coming in his 181st game. Assisting on the first Oilers' goal was d-man Denis Grebeshkov. He has helpers in 4 straight games and now has 30 points (4 goals, 26 assists) on 57 games. Greb has reached the 30+ point plateau for the first time on his career and keeps setting his single season bar higher and higher with each point he racks up.

Montreal d-man Mathieu Schneider had an assist against one of his old squads as the Canadiens fell to the visiting Isles 3-2 in OT. Schneider assisted on the game tying goal just over 9 minutes in to the 3rd Period. In 11 games since coming back to Montreal, Schneids has 9 points on 3 goals and 6 assists. On 55 games this season, Schneider has 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points.


Boston captain and d-man Zdeno Chara had a shorthanded helper on the opening goal only 3:17 in to play as the Bruins dispensed with the visiting Ottawa Senators 5-3. Chara has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over his last 3 games and now has 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points on 69 games. For the 6th straight season Chara has notched 25 or more assists. The shortie helper was the 2nd of the season for Chara and the 16th of his career.

Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron scored the lone Wild goal, a powerplay netter, midway through the 1st Period as they fell to the host Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in a SO. Bergeron snapped a 4 game goal-less stretch and now has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points on 57 games. For the 3rd time on his career MAB has netted 10+ goals. Half his goals this season (5) have come on the man advantage.

Check in soon with FIW for more updates and recaps.

Tuesday March 10

There were 11 games on the NHL schedule as we are already a third of the way through March. The playoff push is strong for a ton of teams around the league and Former Islanders are helping out when they can. FIs tipped in their support in 6 of those contests. Here is a look:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres netted yet another game winner as the Blue Jackets blanked the free-falling host Boston Bruins 2-0. Torres now has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points on 36 games with 3 game winners this season. Over the last 4 games Torres has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) including 2 deciding tallies. The 3 game winners ties his prior single season high from the 2003-04 and 2005-06 campaigns while still with the Edmonton Oilers.

Calgary center Olli Jokinen popped home the opening goal as the Flames were downed by the host New Jersey Devils 3-2. Calgary would have lost 3-1 if it had not been for a 2nd Flames' goal at the 19:59 mark of the 3rd Period. Jokinen 24 goals and 21 assists for 45 points on 61 games this season. In 4 games with the Flames O-Jok has knocked home 3 goals and no assists. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has recorded 45 or more points.

Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had 2 assists including 1 on the game winning powerplay goal in OT as the Canadiens edged the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Schneids now has 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points on 54 games. Schneider snapped a 3 game point-less streak and has done well in his first 10 games with the Habs compiling 8 points on 3 goals and 5 assists. Six of his 8 points with Montreal (3 goals, 3 assists) have come with the man advantage. Assisting on Edmonton's 3rd goal was d-man Denis Grebeshkov. He now has assists in 3 straight games and has notched 29 points (4 goals, 25 assists) on 56 games. The helper officially marked Greb's first 25+ assist season. For the 3rd time this season Grebeshkov has had a 3+ game point scoring streak.

Offensively capable blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron had an assist on the Wild's first goal as Minnesota was just barely downed by the visiting San Jose Sharks 5-4 in OT. Bergeron now has 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points on 56 games. MAB is only 3 helpers short of 100 on his career. The helper snapped an 8 game assist-less stretch.



Washington forward Viktor Kozlov had assists on both Capitals' goals including the game winning tally in OT as they squeaked by the host Nashville Predators 2-1. Kozlov, who struggled with injuries during most of February, recorded a point for the first time since February 1 snapping a 6 game point drought. The Russian giant now has 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points on 54 games. It was the 8th time this season the Kozzer has had a multi-point game.

Newly acquired winger Bill Guerin assisted on the the Penguins' tying goal 5 and a half minutes into the 3rd Period as Pittsburgh overcame a 2 goal deficit for a 4-3 SO win over the visiting Florida Panthers. Guerin is riding a 4 game point streak in which he has recorded 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists). He has points in all 3 games since joining the Pens to the tune of 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists). On 64 games this season Billy G has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists). The assist was a big one for Guerin as it was career #400, this only 2 games after recording his 800th career point. Florida winger Richard Zednik was stopped on his chance in the 1st round of the SO.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Friday February 27

As the final weekend before the trade deadline began there were 5 games up for grabs on Friday night. Former Islanders pulled off a clean sweep and contributed in all 5 of those contests. Here is a look at their efforts:

Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider scored the game winning powerplay tally in OT and added a powerplay assist earlier in the game as the Canadiens downed the host Philadelphia Flyers 4-3. In 5 games with the Habs Schneider has 5 points on 3 goals and 2 assists. He now has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists) on 49 games this season making the 20+ point mark for the 11th straight year and 18th time overall. The game winner was the first of the season for Schneids and the 35th of his career. All 5 of his points with Montreal have come on the man advantage compared to only 4 (1 goal, 3 assists) while with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Playing for the first time in nearly 2 weeks Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood looked sharp stopping 30 of 31 shots as the Red Wings edged the visiting Los Angeles Kings 2-1. With the win Ozzie improved to 19-5-7 on the season. He surrendered 1 goal for only the 5th time this season in 32 games. Ozzie was given some rest by the Detroit brass in hopes that a breather would better prepare the goalie for the run up to the playoffs. His record bespeaks a better season than Osgood is really having.

Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan notched a goal and added a powerplay assist on the OT winner as the Penguins eked by the host Chicago Blackhawks 5-4. Miro now has 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points on 63 games. For the 13th consecutive season Satan has 35 or more points. Assisting on Satan's 2nd Period goal was fellow FI Ruslan Fedotenko. He now has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points on 46 games.

Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron scored the lone Wild goal with less than 4 minutes remaining in regulation as they fell to the host Calgary Flames 4-1. Bergeron snapped a 10 game goal-less streak and now has 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points on 50 games. MAB is only 4 assists short of 100 on his career.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Canucks barely got by the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. Luongo won for the 9th time in his last 10 starts and improved to 20-8-5 on the season. For the 6th straight season Lu has won 20 or more games. The excellent play has vaulted the Canucks back into playoff contention in the Western Conference.



Check in soon for updates and recaps at FIW.

Saturday February 21

There were an impressive 13 games on the NHL schedule on Saturday as teams battle for midseason points. Former Islanders kicked in their assistance in 7 of those tilts including contributions from new FI Chris Campoli. Here is a look:

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko knocked home 2 goals and added an assist to help lead the Penguins charge as they edged the host Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. It was only the 2nd 2 goal game of the season for Fedo who now has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points on 43 games. Fedotenko received the 2nd star honor for his effort. For the 8th straight season Fedo has reached 25 or more points.


Newest Ottawa defenseman Chris Campoli had 2 assists as the Senators fell to the host Montreal Canadiens 5-3. In only his first game with the Sens Campy did something he had yet to do all season, notch 2 assists in a game. In fact, the last time he had 2 assists in a game was on November 10, 2007. Between the Isles and Sens Campoli now has 6 goals and 13 assists for 19 points on 52 games. Fellow FI teammate Mike Comrie failed to make an impact in his first game back in a Sens' sweater. Scoring Montreal's 3rd goal was recently re-acquired d-man Mathieu Schneider. He has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 3 games with Montreal and is riding a 4 game 4 point (2 goals, 2 assists) scoring streak. Schneids now has 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points on 47 games. Assisting on the Habs' 4th and 5th goals was d-man Roman Hamrlik. He has 4 goals and 20 assists for 24 points on 59 games. For the 3rd straight season and the 12th time Hamr has 20+ helpers.

Hitting it big for the Coyotes was center Olli Jokinen who netted a hat trick to lead Phoenix to a 6-3 victory over the host Los Angeles Kings. The hat trick was the first for Jokinen as a Coyote and his first since February 27, 2007 while still with the Florida Panthers - a span of 153 games without a 3 goal night. O-Jok now has 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) on 54 games this season. For the 6th straight season Jokinen has reached 20 or more goals. Wrapping up the scoring with a late powerplay goal, after Jokinen had finished the hat trick on an empty net, was Kings' center Derek Armstrong. The tally snapped an 11 goal goal-less and point-less streak dating back to January 20. Army now has 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points on 34 games. The powerplay goal was his first of the year and 19th of his career.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stretched his winning streak to 8 games stopping 36 of 38 shots and 2 of 3 in SO as the Canucks skipped by the host Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. Luongo is now 19-7-5 on the season with a .916 save percentage and a 2.56 goals against average. The 8 straight wins in the longest streak of Luongo's career passing a 7 game stretch from the 2006-07 campaign, his first season with Vancouver.


Consistent (offensively, not physically) Buffalo center Tim Connolly notched another assist as the Sabres handed the visiting New York Rangers a 4-2 loss. TimCo has 4 assists in the last 3 games and has 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points on 26 games. For the 2nd straight season and 6th time on his career Connolly has managed 15+ helpers. For his effort Connolly was rewarded with the 3rd star honor.


Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron assisted on the opening goal only 2:50 in to play as the Wild dumped the visiting Detroit Red Wings 5-2. Bergeron has 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points on 47 games.





Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi scored a SO goal in the 1st round as the Flames edged the host Edmonton Oilers 3-2. Stopped on his attempt in round 2 was Oilers' winger Robert Nilsson. All-around player Jason Strudwick assist on Edmonton's second goal only 1:46 in to the 3rd Period. Strud snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points on 49 games. The assist continues to extend his single season high in helpers.

Check in soon for more updates 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.

Saturday January 31

The final day of January brought a plethora of games as 24 teams faced off in a dozen NHL games. Former Islanders are lending their support and did not disappoint helping out in 6 of those tilts. Here is a look at the FI workload:

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov notched a goal and assist on the game winner to help lead the charge as the Capitals doubled up on the visiting Detroit Red Wings for a 4-2 win. Koz snapped a 4 game goal-less/point-less streak and now has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points on 45 games. For the 3rd consecutive season and 9th time on his career Kozlov has reached the 30+ point mark.


Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik assisted on the Habs' first goal as the Canadiens edged the visiting Los Angeles Kings 4-3. Hamrlik snapped an 8 game point-less streak with the helper and now has 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points on 48 games.




Recently returned FI Wade Dubielewicz saw ice time in his first game since the Columbus Blue Jackets snatched the free agent up out from under the Isles. Dubie played the final 49 minutes after starter Steve Mason surrendered 3 goals in 11 minutes. Dubielewicz faired only slightly better surrendering 4 goals on 23 shots. He took the loss as the visiting Dallas Stars thumped the Jacks 7-3. Dubie is 0-1-0 to start the season with a 4.88 goals against average and an .826 save percentage.

Red hot winger Jason Blake scored the game winning goal and added an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4. Blake is riding a 4 game goal- and point-scoring streak in which he has racked up 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists). He now has 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points on 46 games and has recorded 7 goals in the last 7 starts as well as back-to-back game winners. The winning tally was the 21st of Blake's career. The 20th assist makes it 6 straight seasons in which Blakey has reached the 20+ plateau. The last time Blake had goals in 4 straight games was between October 28-November 4, 2006 while still with the Isles. Scoring the 1st goal for the Pens was winger Miroslav Satan. He now has 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points on 51 games.

Recently recovered center Tim Connolly kept up his good play notching the game winning goal as the Buffalo Sabres blanked the host Phoenix Coyotes 2-0. TimCo has goals in 3 straight games (4) and has 9 goals and 7 assists for 16 points on 16 games. The game winner was Connolly's 1st of the season and the 13th of his career. With only 16 games under his belt Connolly is already 7th on the Sabres in goal scoring.


Minnesota d-man Marc-Andre Bergeron had what was possibly his best game of the season and was hardly recognized for it as the Wild edged the host Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in OT. MAB scored the game winning powerplay goal and added another even strength goal and a powerplay helper for a 3 point night. Bergeron now has 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points on 39 games and has reached the 20+ point mark for 5th time on his career. The game winner was MAB's 2nd of the season and the 8th of his career. The 3 point night was a first for Bergeron since December 31, 2007 while still with the Isles. Taking the OT loss for the Canucks was recently embattled backstopper Roberto Luongo who stopped 21 of 24 shots in regulation but only 2 of 3 in OT. Luongo is winless in his last 5 full starts compiled an 0-2-3 record which has dropped him to 11-7-5 on the season. His stats have tumbled as well with his save percentage dropping to 9.16 and his goals against average bloating to 2.51.

Check back for more highlights soon at FIW.

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!