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.

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 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.

Wednesday March 25

With half a dozen games (6) on the schedule on Wednesday night and the push for the playoffs so intense it seemed prime time for Former Islander contributions. However, FIs only helped out in 2 of those contests. Here is a quick look:

Buffalo center Tim Connolly recorded an assist and pocketed the game winning powerplay goal as the Sabres downed the visiting Florida Panthers 5-3 after trailing 3-1 in the 3rd Period. TimCo snapped a 7 game goal-less stretch and now has 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points on 39 games. Connolly has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) with the man advantage. For the 2nd straight season and 5th time on his career Connolly has recorded 35 or more points. The game winner sets a new single season high for Connolly with 4 and makes it 16 deciding tallies on his career. Scoring Florida's 2nd goal was winger Richard Zednik. With 2 goals in the last 4 games Zed now has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) on 63 games.

Anaheim forward Petteri Nokelainen recorded a multi-point game with a goal and an assist as the Ducks thumped the host Colorado Avalanche 7-2. Noky has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) over the last 4 games and now has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points on 42 games this season. Since joining Anaheim Nokelainen has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assists) in 9 games. It was Noky's first multi-point night since November 13, 2005 when he was still with the Isles - the 4th game of his career snapping a 109 game streak of 0 or 1 point games.

Check back soon for more news and updates at FIW.

Wednesday March 11

There were a pathetic 3 games on tap Wednesday night with only a pair of Former Islander happenings to not in 1 game. Here is a recap of that contest:

In only his 3rd game since being acquired by Anaheim center Petteri Nokelainen scored his first goal as a Duck and first of the season as they edged the visiting Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in OT. Noky now has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) on 36 games this season. The netter snapped a 49 game (7 playoff) goal-less streak dating back to March 22, 2008 while still a member of the Boston Bruins. Out with an injury since February 10, Nokelainen has played well in his last 5 games of actually ice time scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists for 3 points. Taking the OT loss for the Canucks was goaltender Roberto Luongo who stopped 37 of 41 shots but only 2 of 3 in the extra frame. The loss dropped Luongo to 23-9-6 on the season. He is sporting a .916 save percentage, a 2.46 goals against average and 5 shutouts.

Check back soon for more highlights.

Trade Deadline Recap

Well Former Islanders, as usually, were centerpieces during the silly day known as the Trade Deadline. Four FIs moved places in a day that featured 22 trades and 46 players changing addresses. In other news a notable FI signed an extension after rumors swirled that he was trade bait. Let us take a look at the FI deadline day:

TRADES

Of course the talk of the day was the trade that sent Phoenix Coyotes' center Olli Jokinen to the Calgary Flames in exchange for center Matthew Lombardi, winger Brandon Prust and a 1st Round Pick. Jokinen, who had struggled with the 'Yotes, bears the unenviable distinction of being the active player with the most regular season games yet no playoff appearance with 780 games under his belt. By joining the Northwest Division-leading Flames O-Jok has all but guaranteed some playoff experience this upcoming spring. On the season Jokinen had 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) on 57 games. In those 780 games Jokinen has 503 points on 229 goals and 274 assists. The Flames will be Jokinen's fifth team after stints with the Kings, Isles, Panthers and Coyotes.

Next up, in terms of relative importance, was the trade that made winger Bill Guerin the newest FI. The Isles relatively gave Guerin away for a conditional draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins who are quickly becoming a haven for FIs (see Satan, Fedotenko, Godard). The pick could be as low as the 5th Round or as high as the 3rd Round depending on the playoff success of the Pens. It became apparent from late last week that Guerin was a goner it was just a matter of finding out who the "mystery team" was a what the return would be. Aside from that trade and the Comrie-Campoli deal the Isles were relative quiet during this trade season. A 1,168 game veteran, Guerin is on the verge of 800 career points with 799 (403 goals, 396 assists) a feat he will accomplish with his 8th team after having played with the Devils, Oilers, Bruins, Stars, Sharks, Blues and Isles.

Currently injured center Petteri Nokelainen was dealt by the Boston Bruins to the Anaheim Ducks in return for defenseman Steve Montador. The gritty Nokelainen could make an impact soon for the Ducks if he can recover from a recent eye injury. On 33 games this season with the Bs Nokey had 3 assists. A 105 game "veteran," Nokelainen has 15 points on 8 goals and 7 assists in stints with the Isles and Bruins.


As part of a package deal d-man Jamie Heward was shipped out of Tampa Bay to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Heward, who is out with a concussion, will probably not suit up for the Leafs anytime soon. The Lightning balled up goaltender Olaf Kolzig, d-man Andy Rogers, Heward and a 4th Round Pick in exchange for prospect d-man Richard Petiot. One would hope for the Lightning that Petiot lives up to lofty expectations as they gave up a bundle of scraps for this young'en. Heward has only suited up for 13 games this season with Tampa Bay notching 2 assists before succumbing to a concussion brought on by a hit by Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin. A 394 game pro, Heward has 38 goals and 86 assists for 124 points. Toronto was Heward's original team. He has worn the jersey for the Leafs, Isles, Predators, Blue Jackets, Capitals, Kings and Lightning.

SIGNING

The Buffalo Sabres, who were supposedly shopping oft-injured center Tim Connolly, ended up signing the star to a 2 year extension worth $9 million ($4.5 million per season). Connolly, who has only ever known life as an Isle or Sabre, has played well in his limited 30 games with Buffalo this season scoring 11 goals and adding 16 assists for 27 points. A 468 game veteran, TimCo has 81 goals and 187 assists for 268 career points. If he can stay healthy over the next 2 seasons, Connolly's re-signing will be a boon for the Sabres.

Check in soon as we have officially begun the final push for the playoffs here at FIW.

Saturday February 7

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

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

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

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



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

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




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

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

Friday December 12

You have got to love NHL weekends. 1) You are pretty much guaranteed 20+ bone-crunching games, 2) Every team plays at least once and 3) It is the best damn sport in the world. December 12-14 was packed with action and Friday was a busy one with 7 games up for grabs. Former Islanders made contributions in a meager 2 of those outings. Let us take a quick look:

Washington defenseman Tom Poti recorded an assist for the third straight game as the Capitals thumped the visiting Ottawa Senators 5-1. Poti had the primary powerplay helper on the first of 3 Caps' insurance goals. Poti now has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points on 19 games. Poti has had assists in 3 consecutive games for the first time since February 26 to March 3 of last season when he recorded 6 helpers over 4 straight.


Boston captain and d-man Zdeno Chara blasted home the Bruins' 3rd goal as they pounced on the host Atlanta Thrashers for a 7-3 victory. Chara has 4 points in as many games and now sports 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points on 29 games. Over the last 4 games Chara has 2 goals and 2 assists. Also getting involved was winger Petteri Nokelainen who had the primary assist on the B's 2nd goal. Nokelainen has played 21 games this season in a very limited capacity and the helper was his first point of the season. The assist snapped a 22 game point-less streak dating back to April 17 of last season, Game 5 of the Bruins' opening round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

Check back soon for more game recaps and highlights at FIW.

Preseason Saturday September 27

As we catch up here at FIW on the weekend we now take a look at Saturday. There were 12 matchups with 24 teams getting their kinks out before the season starts. Former Islanders were involved in 4 of those games. Three of the competitions had incomplete boxscores so reports on those yielded no FI news. Here is a look at the FI contributions from Saturday:

Two FI goaltenders got some playing time in as the New Jersey Devils were hosted by the New York Rangers. Backstopping New Jersey to the 4-2 win was backup goalie Kevin Weekes who played half the game before giving way to Scott Clemmensen. Weekes stopped all 10 shots he faced as the Devils built a 4-0 lead around his strong performance. On the other side of the benches Blueshirts' backup Stephen Valiquette filled in the last half the game after starter Henrik Lundqvist surrendered those 4 tallies. Vali stopped all 11 shots he faced. Weekes improved to 1-1-0 on the preseason while Valiquette fell to an ominous 0-3-0 in his exhibition time.

Boston Bruins' forward Petteri Nokelainen is working hard to show he should be with the big club when the season starts. Nokelainen does have competition though. He helped his cause bgy scoring a game tying goal only 5:30 in to the 3rd period but all was for naught as the Bruins fell to the visiting Washington Capitals 4-3. This was first offensive impact Nokelainen has made in the preseason for the Bs.

New St. Louis winger Steve Regier assisted on the Blues' opening goal as they were edged by the host Dallas Stars 4-3. Regier is trying to make an impact on his new team after playing in 18 games over the last 3 season with the Isles without a scoring a point. Regier is hoping there will be an NHL spot available for him on a youthful Blues squad.


And finally, a pair of Vancouver FIs made some noise as the Canucks skittered by the host San Jose Sharks 3-2. Roberto Luongo got his first win of the preseason stopping all 14 shots he faced while playing the first 2 periods of the game. Luongo is 1-0-0 in exhibition this year. Last year's AHL scoring leader, forward Jason Krog helped the Canucks' cause with a shorthanded goal 5:31 in the 2nd period to lift Vancouver to a 2-0 lead. Krog has a real good shot to make the lineup especially in light of his recent contributions in the preseason.

Check back for more news, updates and recaps at FIW.