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.

Monday March 30

With 3 games on the NHL schedule Monday night it was bound to be a slow evening for Former Islanders. Only one FI aided their team. Here is the sole FI happening of the night:

San Jose defenseman Brad Lukowich received the primary assist on the game winning goal with less than 8 minutes remaining in the 2nd Period as the Sharks edged the tailspinning host Calgary Flames 2-1. Luko snapped a 4 game point-less stretch and now has 8 assists on 53 games.




Check back with FIW soon as we continue to track the race to the playoffs.

Tuesday March 24

There were 8 games up in the air on Tuesday night as we trudge along in the late playoff push. Former Islanders were helping out in important games lending their support in 4 of those tilts. Here is a quick peek:

Toronto winger Jason Blake notched a powerplay assist on the Maple Leafs' 2nd goal but missed on his attempt in the 2nd round of the SO as they eked by the visiting Washington Capitals 2-1. Blakey now has 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points on 70 games. Over the last 7 games Blake has been consistent with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points. Scoring in the 1st round of the SO for the Leafs was center Jeff Hamilton.


Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider had the secondary helper on the opening goal as the Canadiens spanked the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 6-3. Schneider now has 7 goals and 19 assists for 26 points on 60 games. Since re-joining the Habs Schneids has been great with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on 16 games.




Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo got back into the winning swing of things stopping 35 of 37 shots as the Canucks downed the host Dallas Stars 5-2. With his 5th win in the last 6 games Lu is now 28-10-6 on the season with a 9.18 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average with 6 shutouts. Over the last 21 games Luongo has been impressive with a 17-3-1 record more than doubling his wins on the season since returning from an early November injury.

Edmonton d-man Denis Grebeshkov opened the scoring with only 71 seconds remaining in the 1st Period as the Oilers were edged by the visiting Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Greb snapped a 19 game goal-less streak and now has 5 goals and 28 assists for 33 points on 63 games. Grebeshkov has now notched 5 goals for the first time in a season. Receiving the primary assist on the too-little-too-late goal with exactly 1 minute remaining in play was winger Robert Nilsson. With 5 assists over the last 4 games Nily now has 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists) on 59 games.

Check back soon for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Saturday March 21

It was an unusually slow Saturday as only 16 teams faced off in a scant 8 games around the NHL. Former Islander participation was especially low for the typically busiest weekend game day as FIs only popped in support in 4 of those contests. Here is a quick recap:

San Jose defenseman Brad Lukowich snapped a frostily cold 21 game point-less streak with a helper on the Sharks' 2nd goal as they dumped the visiting Dallas Stars 5-2. Luko now has 7 assists on 48 games this season after recording his first helping hand point since December 13. Sadly, Lukowich had spent most of January and February on the Injured Reserve list.



Toronto winger Jason Blake netted his team's 5th a final goal, a powerplay tally, as the Maple Leafs downed the fading Montreal Canadiens from the Bell Centre 5-2. With 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) over the last 6 games Blake now has 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points on 69 games. The tally was a big one for Blake who now has 25 goals on a season for the first time since 2006-07, his last with the Isles when he notched a career high 40. It was only the 4th season that Blake has reach the 25+ goal mark as he narrows in on career point #400 (only 5 shy). The powerplay tally was the 5th of the season for Blake who has had 5+ extra man goals in 3 of his last 4 seasons.

Red hot winger Raffi Torres netted 2 goals, including the game winner, as the red hot Columbus Blue Jackets shut down the host Florida Panthers 3-1. Torres scored the tying goal with only 2:46 remaining in play and then sealed the win 1:07 later with only 93 seconds left in regulation. With 7 goals over the last 9 games Torres has lifted his numbers. He now has 10 goals and 6 assists for 16 points on 41 games. Torres has built on his single season high and now has 5 game winners on the year. With 10 goals he has reached the multi-digit tally mark for the 4th time in his last 5 seasons. Assisting on the winner was center Michael Peca who has 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) on 62 games. Peca has had 4 helpers over the last 4 tilts.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was roughed up with 3 goals on 23 shots in only 40 minutes of ice time as the Phoenix Coyotes thumped the visiting Canucks 5-1. The 'Yotes feasted on the 'Nucks even scoring a rare touch up penalty call empty net goal on Vancouver midway through the 2nd Period. The boff was officially recorded as a rare, middle of the game empty net goal. Luongo took the loss and is now 27-10-6 on the season with a .917 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average. Lu was pulled for the first time since November 5 when he injured his groin 5 minutes into play. For the 9th straight season Luongo has secured 10 or more losses.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Saturday December 13

There were a dozen games on the Saturday night tap as the NHL keeps pumping out fresh hockey draught. Former Islanders are no strangers to help and kicked in their contributions in 6 of those tilts. Here is a look at the FI workload:

Pittsburgh winger Ruslan Fedotenko continued his wave of good play with a powerplay goal and an assist as the Penguinbs fell to the host Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 in a Battle of Pennsylvania matchup. Fedo now has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 4 consecutive games and has improved to 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) on 28 games this season. Scoring the 2nd Pittsburgh goal was tough guy winger Eric Godard. The goal was the 1st of the season for Godard who now has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) on 28 games. The netter snapped a 23 game point-less streak and a 98 game goal-less streak dating back to October 13, 2007 while still with the Calgary Flames. The goal was career point #10 for Godard who has 4 goals and 6 assists over 228 NHL games.

Washington forward Viktor Kozlov had the secondary assist on the game winning goal with only 2:32 remaining in play as the Capitals edged the host Montreal Canadiens 2-1. Kozzer has 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points on 26 games. Over the last 3 games Kozlov has recorded 3 assists including 1 with the man advantage.



Devils' goaltender Kevin Weekes stopped 30 of 34 shots as host New Jersey fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. The start was Weekes' 1st in over 3 weeks dating back to November 21 when he notched career win #100. In that time Scott Clemmensen had secured all the other starts in what has turned out to be an interesting goalie battle since the injury to starter Martin Brodeur. The loss dropped Weekes to 2-4-0 on the season with an .899 save percentage and a 3.06 goals against average. Weekes has dropped 3 of his last 4 starts after starting the season 1-1-0.

Chris Osgood does not need stellar save percentages or low goals against averages to win, he has the Red Wings around him to take charge and edge the competition. Detroit skipped by the host Phoenix Coyotes with a 5-4 SO win and Ozzie was a winner yet again. Osgood stopped 24 of 28 shots between regulation and OT and 3 of 4 in SO to record his 16th straight start without a regulation loss. Ozzie is now 12-1-4 on the season including 12-0-4 during his current 16 game stretch. Yet, despite success his gaa is 3.20 and his save % is a lowly .875. The victory was win #375 for Ozzie and came in game #682/start #655.

Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov recorded the secondary assist on the game winning goal only 49 seconds in to regulation as the Oilers blanked the visiting Vancouver Canucks for a 3-0 win. Greb has 1 goal and 11 assists for 12 points on 25 games. He is currently 5th on the team in helpers. Also getting involved was Robert Nilsson who capped the scoring with less than 18 minutes remaining in play. Nilsson snapped a 6 game goal-less streak and scored in his first game back since suffering an injury during the November 30 game. Nilsson now has 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points on 24 games.

San Jose d-man Brad Lukowich had an assist on the game winner with just over 5 minutes remaining in regulation as the Sharks slipped by the visiting St. Louis Blues for a 5-4 victory. Luko has 6 assists on 26 games this season including 2 over the last 4. He is currently 5th among Sharks defensemen in assists.



Check in soon for more news, recaps, highlights and happenings.

Saturday November 29

With Thanksgiving leftovers still in fridges around the country hockey took center stage again on Saturday. Two dozen squads faced off in 12 games around the NHL. Former Islanders chipped in their help in 9 of those contests. Here is a look at a very busy FI day:

FI teammates Robert Nilsson (wing) and Denis Grebeshkov (defense) teamed up to snag the assists on Edmonton's first goal as the Oilers overcame a 2-0 deficit for a 4-2 win over the host St. Louis Blues. Nilsson received the primary assist on Andrew Cogliano's goal with just under 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd period. Nily now has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points on 22 games. Grebeshkov received the secondary helper and 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points on 20 games.

Los Angeles center Derek Armstrong scored a rare goal to help lead the Kings to a 5-2 thumping of the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Armstrong put home the game winning tally at the 6:16 mark of the final period to lead the Kings to victory. The goal was Army's first of the season and he now has 1 goal and 1 assists for 2 points on 13 games. With the netter he snapped a 5 game point-less run and a 29 game goal-less streak dating back to February 15 of last season. The game winner was the 9th of Armstrong's 429 game career.

Philadelphia winger Arron Asham also notched a rare point receiving an assist on the Flyers' first goal as they were tripped up by the host Maple Leafs. Toronto doubled up on the Fly Boys for a 4-2 win. The assist was Asham's first as a Flyer and snapped a 10 game point-less run. Asham now has 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points on 23 games this season. The last time Asham recorded an assist was on April 13 in Game 3 of the New Jersey Devils opening round playoff series against the New York Rangers.

Detroit starter Chris Osgood made his first relief appearance of the season after Ty Conklin surrendered 3 goals on 9 shots in the Red Wings 4-1 defeat at the hands of the host Boston Bruins. Ozzie played the final 32 minutes and stopped 9 of 10 shots faced. He received no decision in the appearance. Boston d-man Zdeno Chara recorded an assist on the game winning goal at the 16:11 mark of the 1st period. Chara has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points on 24 games. He has had 2 assists in the last 2 contests.

Columbus winger Raffi Torres knocked home his first goal as a Blue Jacket, a game winning tally, as the Jacks blanked the visiting Washington Capitals for a 3-0 win. The shutout work of rookie goalie Steve Mason made Torres' goal only 8 minutes in to play stand up. Torres now has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points on 13 games. The tally snapped a 17 game goal-less streak dating back to December 2, 2007 while Torres was still with the Edmonton Oilers. The game winner was the 9th of his career and his first that same December 2 game.

Montreal d-man Roman Hamrlik recorded a secondary assist on the Canadiens' 2nd goal as the Habs edged the visiting Buffalo Sabres 3-2. Hamrlik has 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points on 22 games. Hamrlik has notched 2 assists over the last 4 contests. The helper was a momentous one as it was #400 of Hamrlik's career and came in career game 1,098. Though this assist was even strength, Hamrlik has over half his career helpers (210) on the man advantage.

Pittsburgh winger Miroslav Satan assisted on the 1st of 3 Sidney Crosby goals as the Penguins downed the vistiing New Jersey Devils 4-1. The first goal of the Crosby hat trick came only 1:21 in to play. Satan has an impressive 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) on 23 games. Satan is currently 3rd on a potent Penguins' offense behind only Crosby (38 points) and Evgeni Malkin (34).



San Jose d-man Brad Lukowich assisted on the game winning goal with less than 9 minutes remaining in play as the Sharks eked by the host Phoenix Coyotes for a 3-2 win. Luko now has 5 assists on 23 games this season and he snapped a 6 game point-less streak in the process. The helper was the Luko's first on a game winner this season.



Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi had a powerplay assist on the Flames' opening goal as they downed the visiting Vancouver Canucks 3-1. Bertuzzi now has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points on 24 games. Eleven of his season points (5 goals, 6 assists) have come with the man advantage. Despite the fact that Bertuzzi has not scored a goal in the past 12 games he has managed to notch 7 assists in the time.


Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Tuesday November 11

It was a rather busy Tuesday night as a dozen teams took part in 6 games around the league. Former Islanders are really making major strides in many of the major markets and this night was no exception. FIs were major players in 3 of those contests. Here is a quick recap of the events:

With 3 FIs playing important roles in the Stanley Cup rematch between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the host Detroit Red Wings it was the shortest tenured of the trio who took the cake. Winger Ruslan Fedotenko scored the game winner 3:49 in to OT to lift the Pens to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Wings. Down 6-4 midway through the 3rd period the Penguins rallied for 2 goals in the final 4 minutes and change to force OT. Jordan Staal, who had recorded a 3rd period hat trick, set up Fedo for the game winner, the 27th of his career. Fedotenko now has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points on 14 games. Two of his 3 goals have been deciding tallies. After a start like molasses Fedo has turned it on recently with all 5 points coming in the last 7 games. Also helping the Pens' cause was Miroslav Satan who assisted on the opening goal as well as a powerplay helper about 7 minutes in to the 3rd. Satan is playing at nearly a point-per-game pace and now has 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points on 15 games. Over the last 5 contests Satan has over half his season points with 8 (4 goals, 4 assists). The multi-point effort was his 3rd in the last 4 games. Taking the OT loss was Wings' goaltender Chris Osgood who surrendered 7 goals on 34 shots. Ozzie's record fell to 6-1-3 on the season while his numbers still hover around the surreal - the surreally bad that is. Osgood has an .880 save percentage and a 3.34 goals against average. With those stats it is hard to believe that Ozzie has not lost in regulation since opening night. The 7 goals against was one of the worst performances of Osgood's career. The last time Ozzie surrendered 6 goals in regulation was on April 18, 2006 - his last start of the 2005-06 campaign and the first season of his second stint with the Red Wings.

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi had an even strength assist on the Flames' first goal as they edged the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Bert now has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) on 17 games this season. Over the last 4 games Bertuzzi has compiled 5 helpers yet he has failed to net a goal in the last 5 contests. Calgary is 2-3-1 in games in which Bertuzzi has scored a goal and 7-4-0 in games when he has not scored one so him not finding the net is not actually a deficit to the Flames. Toronto coach Ron Wilson is a misguided fool and proved it yet again scratching winger Jason Blake for the second time this season. Wilson has a "prove it" stance on which he will scratch players on game day if he feels they are not pulling their weight and it does not matter how big a name you are. Blake was infuriated with being scratched and rumors are surfacing that Blake is on the trading block although it might be hard to move the 2 years and $8 million remaining on his contract albeit the remaining monies he is owed for this season.

It is rather surprising how much Brad Lukowich we have been covering lately but the San Jose defenseman is finding his way on to the scoresheet and in to our hearts. Well, on to the scoresheet anyway. Luko had his 4th assist in his last 6 games setting up the first goal of the game late in the 1st period as the Sharks fell to the visiting Nashville Predators 4-3 in OT. Lukowich now has 4 assists on 16 games this season and is already over halfway to his point total from last year (7) which he managed in 59 games while playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Check back soon for more updates at FIW.

Thursday November 6

The NHL was busy on Thursday night with 11 games up for grabs and lots of early November points in the standings on the table. Aside from the seemingly nightly demise of the Islanders teams are playing hard early. Former Islanders have seen a surge in play and are contributing in copious amounts now. FIs were on the boxscore in 8 of those games. Let us take a look:

The Penguins nearly blew a 5-0 lead to the Edmonton Oilers barely holding on for a 5-4 win in Pittsburgh. Netting 2 of the first 3 Pitt goals was winger Miroslav Satan who is now pacing the team with 8 tallies. Miro opened the scoring at the 9:14 mark of the 1st and then popped in his second at the 7:05 mark of the 2nd to stake the Pens to a 3-0 lead. Satan received 2nd star of the game honor and now has 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points on 13 games. He is already halfway to his goal total from last season (16). It took Satan 29 games last season to record 8 goals a feat he has accomplished this year in less than half the time. Receiving the secondary assist on Satan's first goal was winger Ruslan Fedotenko. Fedo struggled early in the season but has begun to turn it on as of late. Tank has 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points on 12 games. He has points in his last 3 games (1 goal, 2 assists) and has recorded all of his season's points in the last 5 competitions.

Only 3 games back from an injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks and Washington defenseman Tom Poti is contributing offensively. Poti recorded the secondary assist on the Capitals' 2nd goal as the hosts edged the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. Poti snapped a 4 game point-less run and now has 3 points on 7 games this season. He has not scored a goal in his last 15 games dating back to April 3.


Zdeno Chara finally scored a goal albeit an insurance one as the Bruins handily dispensed of the the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. The Boston captain had gone 14 games without a goal dating back to Game 5 of last season's opening round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. Oddly enough Chara had gone 17 games to start last season before scoring his first goal and historically has slow Octobers. Chara now has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) on 13 games this year but last night was special since it was career game #700 for the tallest player ever (6' 9") to make it to the NHL.

Arron Asham finally scored a goal albeit the lone Philadelphia tally as the Flyers fell to the host Ottawa Senators 4-1. The netter was also the first point for Asham as a Flyer and snapped a 13 game point-less streak dating back to Game 3 of the New Jersey Devils opening round playoff series against the New York Rangers. Asham had an assist in the game on April 13. Asham also snapped a considerably larger 38 game goal-less run dating back to February 16 when scored 2 goals for the Devils. Asham has 1 goal and point on 12 games this season.

The sun is shining brightly for Todd Bertuzzi in Calgary as he has seemed to be reinvigorated playing with the likes of Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf. Bert was the third star of the game after his 3 assist effort as the Flames pulled off a wild 7-6 regulation win over the visiting Nashville Predators. Calgary surrendered 3 late goals but had already mounted a 7-3 lead before the Preds' assault. Bert had 2 powerplay helpers and an ever strength one to record the 3 point night. He now has 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points on 14 games. The 3 point effort was his first since January 18 while still playing for the Anaheim Ducks. Additionally, this was the first time Bertuzzi has had 3 helpers in a game since October 6, 2005, his first of only 7 games with the Florida Panthers.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was unbeatable yet again stopping all 28 shots he faced to record his 2nd straight shutout. Luongo stopped all 24 shots only 2 nights early to record goose egg number 3 and now has 4 blankings on the year to pace the league. Luongo improved to 8-5-0 on the season and has won 4 of his last 5 starts. He has raised his save percentage to .914 and dropped his goals against average to 2.52. The Canucks edged the visiting Phoenix Coyotes 1-0. Luongo has not surrendered a goal in the last 141 minutes of play. The last time Luongo had consecutive shutouts was November 25-29 of last season when he recorded 3 straight blankings.

As if out of nowhere San Jose d-man Brad Lukowich is suddenly an offensive contributor. Luko recorded an assist for the 3rd straight game as the Sharks pulled off a 5-4 SO victory over a St. Louis Blues squad that never trailed in regulation. Lukowich set up the game tying goal with only 1:39 remaining in regulation on a beautiful give-and go play to winger Ryan Clowe. Luko now has 3 assists on 13 games this season. The last time Lukowich had points in 3 consecutive games was November 26-December 4, 2005 while still a member of the Isles.

Florida winger Richard Zednik had an assist on the too-little-too-late shorthanded goal as the Panthers were edged by the host Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Zed snapped a 4 game point-less run and now has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points on 12 games. The shorthanded assist was only the 2nd of Zednik's career and his first since November 18, 2002 while still playing for the Montreal Canadiens - a span of 330 games between shortie helpers. Zed has never scored a shorthanded goal.

Check back here for more updates and recaps at FIW.

Election Night: Tuesday November 4

As Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama knocked out Republican John McCain in what seemed to be a matter of moments minds seem to think of those lopsided fights that every so often make their appearance in the NHL. Hockeyfights.com keeps track of the win/loss records of every player around the league much as RealClearPolitics serves as a repository for all things political. Check out both when you get the chance and no we are not being paid for these endorsements. On Tuesday night 14 teams faced off in 7 high energy competitions. Former Islanders made themselves known in 3 of those games. Let us take a quick look at a rare Election Night/Hockey Night:

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo notched his league leading 3rd shutout of the season as the host Canucks blanked the Nashville Predators 4-0. Luongo was brilliant stopping 24 shots to record his 2nd goose egg in his last 4 games and his 3rd win in the span. Luongo improved to 7-5-0 on the season and has improved his numbers considerably dropping his goals against average to 2.73 and raising his save percentage to .906. Both have rebounded and are back among the top 15 league-wide with his gaa ranking at 13th and his save % at 15th. Also getting involved was winger Taylor Pyatt who had a powerplay assist on the team's 3rd goal. T-Py now has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points on 13 games this season but has recorded 3 of those points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 4 contests.

Phoenix center Olli Jokinen assisted on his team's 2nd goal as the Coyotes doubled up on the Calgary Flames for a 4-2 road victory. O-Jok is cruising with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) on 10 games this season. During his current 3 game point streak Jokinen has 4 points on 3 goals and an assist. Jokinen trails only winger Shane Doan for the team lead in goals (3 behind) and points (1 behind) but leads the squad in helpers.

San Jose defenseman Brad Lukowich had an assist for the 2nd straight game as the Sharks skipped by the visiting Minnesota Wild for a 3-1 win. After going point-less in his first 10 games with his new squad Luko now has 2 assists in his last 2 games. The helper came on the team's 4th goal. Lukowich last had points in consecutive games from January 22-24 while still with the Tampa Bay Lightning.


Check back soon for more updates and highlights at FIW.

Sunday November 2

The Halloween Weekend wrapped up with 6 Sunday games. Former Islanders made offensive strides in 4 of those games. Here is a quick peek at those efforts:

Edmonton defenseman Jason Strudwick assisted on the opening goal of the game as the Oilers eked by the Flyers for a 5-4 win in Philadelphia. Strud snapped a 4 game point-less stretch and now has 2 assists on 8 games this season. The assist was the 40th point of Strudwick's 496 game career. Strudwick is rapidly approaching career game number 500 - a career that has seen him play for the Isles, Canucks, Blackhawks, Rangers and Oilers.

Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi and d-man Adrian Aucoin were at it again on Sunday but this time the Flames were on the opposite end of a 3-2 decision as the Anaheim Ducks dropped the visitors 3-2. Bertuzzi netted his team-leading 7th goal, a powerplay tally, in what turned out to be the too-little-too-late goal. Bert snapped a 3 game goal-less run and now has 7 goals and 2 assists for 9 points on 12 games. Aucoin was credited with the primary assist on Calgary's first goal. Aucoin has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) on 12 games this year and has 3 game point streak in which he has netted 1 goal and added 2 assists.

San Jose d-man Brad Lukowich recorded his first point as a Shark recording the secondary assist on the opening goal as they downed the host Colorado Avalanche 5-3. Luko now has 1 assist on 11 games this season and he snapped an 18 game point-less run dating back to February 2 while he was still with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Aside from the little offensive upswing he has provided Lukowich has been solid for the Sharks posting a +4 rating and managing a super-gentlemanly 0 penalty minutes.

Round 2 of the Battle of the Top FI Goaltenders resulted in a win for Detroit backstopper Chris Osgood. Vancouver Roberto Luongo won Round 1 on October 16. Ozzie stopped 25 of 27 shots faced sa the Red Wings edged the host Canucks 3-2. Osgood improved to 5-1-2 on the season with an .884 save percentage and a 3.21 goals against average. Despite the bloated numbers, Ozzie is unbeaten in regulation in his last 7 starts going 5-0-2 over that stretch. Luongo stopped 20 of 23 shots but could not be backed up by his team's offense which had managed 6 goals in their last start (a wild 7-6 SO victory over the Anaheim Ducks). Luongo fell to 6-5-0 on the season with the loss. He possesses an .899 save percentage and a 2.99 goals against average with 2 shutouts. The loss snapped a 2 game mini-win streak.

Check here soon for more updates at FIW!