Playoff FIs: Western Conference

Let us take a look at the Former Islanders who should be gracing the NHL squads during the push for Lord Stanley's Cup - the pantheon of sports trophies. The glittering epitome of silver beauty. The greatest guerdon known to living man. Digression. The teams have been arranged by conference and according to rank. Here is the Western Conference:

Western Conference

#1 San Jose: The best team in the league and Stanley Cup favorite, the Sharks feature a lone FI in defenseman Brad Lukowich who wound his way to NorCal during the offseason trade that sent blueliner Dan Boyle packing from Tampa Bay. Luko suffered some major injury time playing in only 58 games this season. In those games he managed only 8 assists. We will have to wait and see if the true impact for Lukowich will be his presence on the blue line.

#2 Detroit: The perennial powerhouse Red Wings feature a lone FI, as well. A large part of the team's Cup-winning success from last postseason, goaltender Chris Osgood is going to try to regain last season's awesome form which may be a daunting task in light of his less than stellar season. Ozzie split time with Ty Conklin managing starts in only 44 games and appearances in 46. Over that span Osgood sported a 26-9-8 record which looks deceivingly good. Beneath the surface Ozzie surrendered an average of 3.09 goals per game while stopping shots at only an .887 clip, the latter of which being the worst of any season for the veteran goalie. He managed only 2 shutouts. Only time will tell if Osgood can find his true self.

#3 Vancouver: On the other side of the coin is stellar goalie Roberto Luongo who came back from injury to dominate the Northwest Division. Luongo went 33-13-7 on the season in 54 starts. At one point Lu had won 12 of 13 games helping the Canucks rise from potentially out of the playoffs to division champs. Lu pulled off a 2.34 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and a single season high 9 shutouts. Questionable to make it back for the playoffs is winger Taylor Pyatt who lost his fiancee to a car accident shortly before the end of the season. T-Py played in 69 games posting 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points. Also questionable is defenseman Rob Davison who played in only 23 games on the season with the 'Nucks recording 2 assists. Davison has not seen ice time with the team since February 10.

#4 Chicago: The fate of Blawkhawks' d-man Aaron Johnson is currently unknown for the playoffs but we will keep a watch on whether the blueliner makes an appearance. Johnson started the season off hot for the 'Hawks and then rapidly cooled off. With 7 points in the first 17 games of the season Johnson seemed poised for a big year but fell apart soon thereafter managing only 1 point in his next 21 games. Johnson only played in 38 games recording 3 goals and adding 5 assists for 8 points.

#5 Calgary: Calgary made some major moves during the season including the acquisition of center Olli Jokinen which, when you look at the record (8-11), not only caused a late season slump but also lost the Flames the division crown and home advantage in the first round. O-Jok headlines a trio of Flames' FIs which also includes winger Todd Bertuzzi and d-man Adrian Aucoin. Jokinen is making it to the playoffs for the first time in his 799 game NHL career though he backed into it via the trade north from Phoenix. Jokinen finished his weakest season in the last 6 years with 57 points (29 goals, 28 assists) on 76 games. Bertuzzi started the season off hot, a streak tempered by injuries and fatigue. He finished the season respectably with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) on 66 games. Bert is looking to regain some form in the playoffs. D-man Aucoin had another 30+ point season managing 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points on 81 games.

#6 St. Louis: With captain and d-man Eric Brewer out indefinitely following December back surgery the cinderella Blues feature no FIs.







#7 Columbus: Making their first appearance as a franchise in the NHL playoffs the Blue Jackets feature a trio of FIs. First off is winger Raffi Torres who was instrumental late in the season for the BJs. Torres scored 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points on 51 injury-shortened games but it was his 6 games winners, including 4 in March, that helped vault Columbus into the playoffs. Center Michael Peca played another grinder of a season scoring 4 goals and adding 18 assists for 22 points on 71 games. Of those goals scored by Peca 2 were game winners. Finally, late season pickup goalie Wade Dubielewicz will be warming the bench for rookie sensation Steve Mason. It is unlikely Dubie will see much playing time. During the season he started 2 games and appeared in 3 going 1-2-0 with an obese 3.56 goals against average and a sickly .870 save percentage.

#8 Anaheim: If it were not for a late trade the Ducks would not feature an FI, but alas they received center Petteri Nokelainen from the Bruins before the deadline. Noky played pretty well in his 17 games with the Ducks scoring 4 goals and adding 2 assists for 6 points. On the season the muscular winger had 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) on 50 games. Look for him to lead the Ducks' 3rd line in the first round of the playoffs.

Check back soon as we will be following all the matchups here at FIW.

FI Injury Report

As of the end of the week a total of 11 Former Islanders were on Injured Reserve for various ailments. Here is a brief look at these players:

Tim Connolly (Buffalo): The Sabres are used to winning when Tim Connolly is in the lineup. Problem is that TimCo has not been the lineup for more than 56 regular games of the last 3 seasons. He has had an impressive 48 points (10 goals, 38 assists) over than span. All that might change as Connolly is expected to suit up Friday night for his first game since November 14. The problems have been varied for Connolly who most recent trip to the IR was triggered by a rib injury.

Brent Sopel (Chicago): Chicago signed Sopel to an contract extension last season yet from the day the deal was inked Sopel has been hit with a variety of injuries. Sopel's most recent is the delightfully descriptive "upper-body injury". There is no real timetable for Sopel's return to the Blackhawk's blueline.




Raffi Torres (Columbus): Winger Torres is Lloyd's of London's worst nightmare - a walking injury waiting to happen. An injury last season cost Torres 50 games of the season while his recent arthroscopic knee surgery will cost him supposedly 2-4 weeks yet that time frame has come and gone as Torres was placed on IR on December 2. Torres is not yet ready to return to play and the mystery is when and if he will every really be ready to compete without some nagging injury haunting him.

Marc-Andre Bergeron (Minnesota): The saddest FI injury of the year so far has to be defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron who was leading the Wild blueliners in scoring. Bergeron suffered an "upper-body injury" in early December and has been on the IR since December 12. No details have arisen about the true nature of MAB's injury nor has an expected return date been announced yet.

Ruslan Fedotenko(Pittsburgh):Penguins' winger Fedotenko broke his hand in a one punch knockout of Atlanta Thrashers' forward Colby Armstrong only 2 minutes in to a January 6 game. Fedo will miss 4 to 6 weeks and has been placed on the IR retroactive to January 7.




Eric Brewer (St. Louis): The Blues' captain and d-man Eric Brewer has had a relatively healthy career until his recent herniated disk required surgery. St. Louis, currently without its leader, will spend what is most likely the rest of the season without Brewer's presence in the locker room. Brewer had surgery on December 17 and was placed of the IR retroactive to December 13.


Jamie Heward (Tampa Bay): To be brutally honest Jamie Heward's absence on the Lightning blueline will not really affect any outcomes considering the d-man has only suited up for 13 games so far this season but Heward is probably missing the ice. Heward was slammed head first in to the boards by Washington Capitals' superstar Alex Ovechkin in a game on New Year's Day. Considering the severity of the injury there is not expected return date and Heward was placed on IR as of January 2.

Roberto Luongo (Vancouver): Possibly the most notable injury in the league right now is the absence of Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo who suffered a groin injury during a November 22 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rumor has it that Luongo is almost ready to make a return, possibly in time for him to get a few starts in before the All-Star Game to which he has been tapped as a reserve goalie. Luongo was having a good start to the season before the injured sidelined him on IR since November 23.

Taylor Pyatt (Vancouver): The Canucks have a second injured FI in the form of winger Pyatt who broke his foot during a December 26 game. Pyatt is out "at least four weeks" and was placed on the IR on December 27. To make things worse it appears that T-Py played the whole game possibly compounding the injury with extra shifts.



Tom Poti (Washington): Capitals' d-man Tom Poti suffered a groin strain in late December landing him on the IR on December 23. The absence of Poti leaves a gaping whole on the Caps' blueline that is currently being filled by rookie Karl Alzner. There is no time table for a Poti return yet.




John Erskine (Washington): Another Caps' d-man also has his own injury woes. Erskine suffered a concussion during a November 24 game and was immediately placed on the IR list. There is no expected return date yet for Erskine who has never played more than 51 games on any given season.




Check here soon for more news and updates at FIW.

Injured: Eric Brewer

The St. Louis Blues announced today that captain and defenseman Eric Brewer will be out indefinitely. Brewer is scheduled for surgery on December 19 for a herniated disc. The injury and surgery ostensible ends Brewer's season unless he can recover quickly from such an invasive procedure. We wish Eric a speedy recovery.

Update: It was announced Friday afternoon that Brewer's back surgery was a success. He will now get back on the road to recovery.

Saturday December 6

With 12 games on Saturday the atmosphere would be ripe for Former Islander contributions, right? Right? Well sorry but FIs only lent a helping hand in 2 of those contests. Well here is a look at those 2 games:

Boston captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara notched the secondary assist on the game winning goal 9:02 in to play as the Bruins blanked the host Florida Panthers 4-0. Chara has 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points on 26 games. He has been effective as of late with 3 assists over the last 4 tilts.




St. Louis captain and d-man Eric Brewer recorded a secondary assist on his team's first goal as the Blues eked by the Phoenix Coyotes for a 4-3 home win. Brewer now has 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points on 25 games. All 5 of his assists this season have come within the last 11 games.




Check here soon for more updates and news at FIW.

Sunday November 30

There were 4 games on a lightweight NHL Sunday. Former Islanders kicked in their help in 2 of those games. Here is a quick look at their contributions:

Florida defenseman Bryan McCabe recorded an assist on the first of 3 insurance goals as the Panthers blanked the host New York Rangers 4-0. McCabe snapped a 3 game point-less stretch (after a 6 game point scoring streak) with the helper. He now has 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points on 13 games. For the 13th consecutive season McCabe has notched multiple digit points on a season. For the 2nd time this season Rangers' backup Stephen Valiquette made a substitution appearance filling in the final 23 minutes for the recently struggling Henrik Lundqvists. Vali stopped 6 of 7 shots faced. He received no decision but did damage his stats a little bit raising his goals against average to 2.60 and dropping his save percentage to .908.

St. Louis captain and d-man Eric Brewer notched the primary assist on Keith Tkachuk's 1,000th career point, a powerplay goal, as the Blues downed the host Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. Brewer now has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points on 22 games. The powerplay helper was his 2nd of the season.



Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Saturday November 22

With a dozen games on tap on Saturday it was a ripe opportunity for Former Islander action, or so one would think. FIs made it to the scoresheet in only 5 of those tilts and even then the action was paltry at best. Here is a look at their contributions:

Less than 5 minutes in to play Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was sidelined with a groin injury. A tweak seems to have rattled and rendered the starter unable to play for at least the next week. MRI findings were slight for injury but he will be reevaluated upon return home to Vancouver. Luongo faced and stopped only 1 shot and backup Curtis Sanford carried the rest of the load as the Canucks downed the host Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1. On a slightly sarcastic note, Luongo dropped his goals against average to 2.17 and increased his save percentage to .928 while keeping his record static at 11-5-2. We are wishing Roberto a speedy recovery.

Not injured, but not very effective, was New York Rangers' goaltender Stephen Valiquette who stopped 32 of 36 shots as the host Ottawa Senators thumped the Blueshirts 4-1. Vali dropped his 2nd straight start and now has a 2-2-0 record on the season with a .911 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average. After starting the season on a mild hot streak Valiquette has surrendered 9 goals in his last 2 starts, both in the month of November.

Chicago defenseman Aaron Johnson had an assist on his team's 2nd goal as the Blackhawks overcame a 4-2 deficit to pull off a 5-4 OT win over the host Toronto Maple Leafs. Johnson snapped a 5 game point-less stretch and now has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) on 17 games. The helper was the 25th of Johnson's career and came in game #163. Receiving the lone assist on Toronto's 3rd goal was winger Jason Blake. Blakey has seemed to struggle this season but now has 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points on 18 games. He has, however, managed 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) over the last 4 games.

St. Louis d-man and captain Eric Brewer was credited with the primary assist on the team's game winning powerplay goal as the Blues edged the host Minnesota Wild 2-1. Brewer has a less than stellar 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) on 18 games this season. Getting involved in the Blues' first goal is a surprise call up Steve Regier who received the secondary assist. On 3 games with the big club Regier has wowed with 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points. The helper was the first of Regier's NHL career.

Washington d-man Tom Poti scored the first of only 2 Capitals' goals as they were thrashed by the host San Jose Sharks 7-2. Poti snapped a 5 game goal-less and point-less run and now has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points on 15 games. The 3 goals already surpasses his 2 goal effort from last season, a feat that took 71 games to accomplish.



Check back soon for more updates and highlights at FIW.

Friday November 14

There were half a dozen games up for grabs on Friday night from Washington, D.C. to Anaheim, California. Play is hot right now and Former Islanders are no exception. FIs are contributing at a torrid pace and made contributions in 4 of those games. Here is a look:

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov had the primary assist on the Capitals' game winning goal as they skittered past the visiting New Jersey Devils 3-1. Kozzer is off to a slow start with only 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points on 11 games this season. An injury early on has still seem to have a little nagging effect on Kozlov's progress. The assist was the 500th point of Kozlov's career (187 goals, 313 assists) and came in game number 841.



Columbus center Michael Peca score the game winner only 7:13 in to play as the Blue Jackets crushed the host Buffalo Sabres 6-1. The goal was the first of the season for Peca who now has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) on 12 games. The game winning tally was the 32nd of Peca's career and his first since January 3, a 50 game span without such a goal. Buffalo center Tim Connolly had a powerplay helper on the lone Sabres' goal. With the assist Connolly extended his point streak to 4 games (2 goals, 4 assists). TimCo is off to a quick start with 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) on 6 games. Despite suffering a chest injury in their last game against the St. Louis Blues, Connolly suited up and played over 21 minutes in the Columbus game.

Florida winger Richard Zednik was involved with both Panthers' goals as they were edged by the visiting Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Zed netted the first Florida goal just over 6 minutes in to the 2nd period and then added an assist less than 6 minutes later to lead their offense. Zednik received second star of the game honor and has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points on 16 games. He is 6th on the team in points and is only 3 behind the team leaders. Defenseman Bryan McCabe had the secondary assist on Zed's goal. McCabe has points in 3 straight games (1 goal, 2 assists) and now has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) on 6 games.

St. Louis d-man and captain Eric Brewer had a helper on his team's 2nd goal as the Blues eked by the host Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in OT. The assist was his first of the season and he now has 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points on 15 games. The point was the 175th of his career and snapped a 14 game assist-less stretch dating back to April 6, the last game of the 2007-08 season.


Check back here soon.

Thursday October 16

There were 7 games on the Thursday NHL schedule meaning 14 teams fought it out for early season points. Former Islanders are steadily making impacts on the scoresheet including contributions in 5 of those matches. Let us take a gander at those works:

It was the battle of top tier FI goaltenders last night in Detroit as captain Roberto Luongo and his Vancouver Canucks faced off against Chris Osgood and the Red Wings. To the winner went the spoils, to the loser... well in this case 1 point. The victor was in fact the superior of the two backstoppers as Luongo and Co. knocked off the hosts 4-3 in OT. Luongo stopped 32 of 35 shots faced to improve to 3-1-0 on the season. Luongo lowered his goals against average to 3.21 and raised his save percentage slightly to .895. Osgood stopped 25 of 29 shots but could not prevent shot number 1 of OT only 27 seconds in to the frame. Ozzie is fairing slightly worse this season with a 1-1-1 record, a 3.01 goals against average and a shockingly low .888 save percentage.

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron continues to make inroads with his new team having found his way on the scoresheet for the 2nd time in only 3 games. Bergeron had a powerplay assist on Minnesota's 5th goal as the Wild systematically tore down the host Florida Panthers 6-2. MAB now has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) on 3 games with both those points coming with the man advantage. Surprisingly, Bergeron has 10 shots over those 3 games but no penalty minutes. How gentlemanly of you Marc-Andre!

Let people say what they will about Miroslav Satan being an inferior replacement for Marian Hossa on right wing for the Penguins, Satan is playing solid hockey and GASP has more points on the season than Hossa (4 to 3). Satan had a 2 point night Thursday as Pittsburgh blew a 3-0 home lead to the Washington Capitals losing 4-3. Satan notched a goal and an assist each on the powerplay for his first multipoint effort as a Pen. He now has 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points on 5 games. Three of his 4 points have come on the man advantage including both of his tallies. While Sidney Crosby still seems to be working out his kinks (what is up with Sid and Alex Ovechkin?), Evgeni Malkin and Miro seem to be clicking. This is the first time Satan has had a goal and an assist in the same game since October 20, 2007!

St. Louis d-man Eric Brewer finally managed a point as his teammates around him have been off to a fast start. Brewer netted his first goal of the season, a powerplay tally, to cap the scoring as the Blues thumped the visiting Dallas Stars 6-1. With the goal, Brewer snapped a 75 game goal-less streak. The last time Brewer put one in the net was October 27, 2007 - 5 games in to the 2007-08 season. Brewer shaved a game off that scoring his first of the season in game 4.

Finally, Ryan Smyth may not be playing as well as he did in the preseason but he is still doing okay for himself to start the 2008-09 campaign. Smyth had a powerplay helper on Colorado's final goal as the host Avalanche finally won one against the equally winless Philadelphia Flyers by the final score of 5-2. Smyth has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) on 4 games with all 3 points coming in the last 2 competitions. He has recorded all of those point on the man advantage.

Check in soon for more updates, news and highlights at FIW.

Preseason Wednesday October 1

The NHL preseason chugged along on Wednesday as 18 teams faced off in 9 games. Former Islanders made contributions in 5 of those matchups and continue to flex their talent. For some players, like Ryan Smyth, the preseason has been a sign of possible good things to come in 2008-09. Here is a look at the FI efforts:

It is a good time to be Chris Osgood. The goaltender is flanked but what is unanimously being hailed as the best team in hockey in the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings continued to show off their talent,even without Marian Hossa, by beating up on the little guy as they thumped and dumped the host Atlanta Thrashers 4-1. Osgood faced a relatively high 26 shots but only surrendered 1 goal. He has given up 2 goals this preseason over roughly 2 and a half games of play... Do the math and that's about a 0.80 goals against average.

First he climbs mountains in Africa then he returns to the cool crispness of the hockey rink. On Wednesday Zdeno Chara started up his offensive engine again by notching the only Boston goal, a powerplay tally, as the Bruins fell to the host Montreal Canadiens 3-1. Chara is looking to carry his career season momentum in to the 2008-09 campaign.


St. Louis defenseman Eric Brewer is alive and seemingly well. The d-man, who struggled through a lackluster 2007-08 season, is looking to have a bounceback year. Brewer got involved with the offense by assisting on the 2nd of 4 insurance goals as the Blues trounced the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 7-3. At only 29 years of age, Brewer is only a year younger than the 2 oldest defenseman on the team (Mike Weaver and Jay McKee). It will be expected of Brewer to be a leader on and off the ice to a ragamuffin squad with an average player age of only 28.2.

Ryan Smyth is on fire. We have lost count of his preseason point total since it is completely inane but Smyth has been a whirling dirvish of offense for the Avalanche in what he is hoping will be a full and healthy season. (Odds that Smyth will be injured at some point during the actual season are currently running at 1.5:1) Smyth opened the scoring with only 1:22 remaining in the first period on a powerplay goal with assists from the yin and yang of the Colorado youth spectrum: Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic. In the end, the Avs whisked by the visiting Dallas Stars 3-1.

Taylor Pyatt, yes he still plays in the NHL!, assisted on the opening goal only 21 seconds in to play as the Vancouver Canucks whomped the visting Calgary Flames 6-1. Vancouver, who is expected to be among the worst teams in the Western Conference this season, is a surprising 5-0-0 in the preseason. But since it is all exhibition there is no point reading too deeply in to this. Backstopping the Canucks to the win was new captain Roberto Luongo. Luongo stopped 35 of 36 shots for the victory. Luongo becomes the 2nd FI to captain the Canucks albeit Trevor Linden was captain before being traded to the Islanders and becoming captain there. For the record, the Islanders never considered making Luongo the team captain during his time on the Island.

Check back soon for more updates, news, discoveries of Steve Fossett's plane wreckage and the like at FIW.