On the Islanders Beat

When the NHL announced its three stars for November, it was almost like one of those tests where you view a group of symbols and are asked, "Which one doesn't fit with the others?" First star: Alexander Ovechkin. Second star: Evgeni Malkin. Third star: Joey MacDonald?

You don't expect to see the Islanders' backup goaltender, a guy who had appeared in only 17 NHL games before this season, on a list with two of the game's greatest stars. But if the Islanders still are relevant in terms of hanging on the edge of playoff contention, a large share of credit goes to MacDonald, whose play in place of injured Rick DiPietro has been inspirational considering where he came from.

In 14 November starts, MacDonald was 8-5-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and he led all NHL goaltenders in games played (14), minutes (842) and shots faced (439). His eight wins tied for first, and he won shootouts against Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and Montreal's Carey Price.

"It's great to be in the same category as those two guys, Malkin and Ovechkin," MacDonald said at the pre-game skate today at the Verizon Center in Washington. "It's pretty special. We had a pretty good month. We had some ups and downs, but overall, I thought we played pretty well. Our defense played really well and blocked a lot of shots to help me out a lot. I can't do it on my own. When you've got 'D' and forwards backing you up and showing confidence in you now, it's huge."

MacDonald said he's had lots of calls from friends and relatives back home in Nova Scotia, who are thrilled one of their own, a regular guy, earned such an honor. But there's little time to enjoy it because MacDonald will be making his 15th straight start tonight against the Capitals, and it will be his first time to face the great Ovechkin.

"I've backed up a few games and seen him play a few times, but I never got the opportunity to play against him," Mac Donald said. "He's like [Sidney] Crosby and Malkin and all those guys. He can do a lot with the puck, and you've got to focus on him every time he's on the ice.

"It doesn't matter if he's in the offensive zone or the defensive zone. You've got to watch him because he can grab the puck and go through a lot of guys. He's got great hands, great speed, and he'll shoot from anywhere and he has a great shot."

ISLES FILES: Defenseman Radek Martinek, it was announced today, is out 2-4 weeks with a right shoulder injury. As expected Thomas Pock replaces him in the lineup…Washington is 9-1-1 at home after suffering its first home loss of the season to Florida Tuesday night. That game also snapped Ovechkin's 10-game scoring streak. The Caps also have a long injury list that includes top defensemen Mike Green and Tom Poti and forward Alexander Semin…University of New Hampshire defenseman Blake Kessell, who was impressive at the Islanders' July minicamp, was named to the U.S. team for the World Junior Championships later this month in Ottawa…Watch for Islanders Insider in Newsday's online sports section Friday.