Top 20 on the Islanders: #11 Andrew MacDonald

Andrew MacDonald laying a hit on Wayne Simmonds (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

          Next up on the list is a defenseman who is having his second consecutive solid season.  He is a favorite among coaches and fans alike.  He is not afraid to hit someone and he plays solid defense, blocking a lot of shots.  The number eleven player is defenseman, Andrew MacDonald.  
          MacDonald was drafted in the sixth round (160th overall), by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  He was known as a defensive defenseman, because of the way he used his stick and body in the defensive zone. 
          Prior to being drafted, MacDonald played in both the Maritime Junior Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  While in those leagues he played a total of four years, playing in two-hundred seventy-nine games.  MacDonald compiled thirty-nine goals and one-hundred twenty-six assists, for a total of one-hundred sixty-five points.  
          After being drafted, MacDonald played on the Islanders minor league team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  While there MacDonald played in one-hundred fourteen games, compiling thirteen goals and thirty-two assists, for a total of forty-five points.
          MacDonald got his first real chance on the Island, after being called up in the middle of 2009-2010 season.  That season he played in forty-six games for the Islanders, getting one goal and six assists, for seven points.
          MacDonald hasn't looked back.  He's now been on the Islanders NHL roster for three straight years, and he's improved every one.  So far in his NHL career, MacDonald has played in one-hundred seventy-two games, compiling ten goals and forty-two assists, for a total of fifty-two points.  
          But where MacDonald excels is not on the stat sheet.  It's the intangibles that MacDonald thrives on.  He blocks tons of shots in front of his goalie, he puts hits on player when they enter his zone.  But what he is most known for is his long hockey stick.  His stick is very active, and because of its length, it gets in the way of a lot of passes and shots.  
          He may not be a stat sheet stuffer, but MacDonald is an invaluable asset of a young Islander blue line.  As they continue to grow together, MacDonald, and the rest of the Isles' defenseman, can only get better.      
             

Islanders Edged by Rival Rangers

Islanders #41 David Ullstrom drives on Rangers #41 Stu Bickel (Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images)

          For the second straight game the Islanders' opponent came from behind and delivered a heartbreaking loss.  With just six seconds left in overtime until a shootout, the Rangers scored a power play goal, lifting them over the Isles 4-3.
          Since the game did go into overtime, the Islanders did get a point. However, that is not their desired outcome as they hope to make a final playoff push.  With the point the Islanders now have 66 on the season.  That is ten points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.
          The first period saw the two teams exchange goals.  The Islanders took the first lead of the game, at the 11:15 mark, when center John Tavares had the puck bounce off his leg and past Rangers goalie, Henrik Lundqvist.  The goal was Tavares' twenty-eighth of the year.  The Rangers would answer back at the 18:47 mark, when center Brad Richards took the puck from behind his own net, skated the length of the ice, and then fired a wrist shot over the glove of goalie Evgeni Nabokov, to tie the game.
          The second period saw the Islanders take their second lead of the game.  At the 7:44 mark, with the Islanders on the power play, defenseman Mark Striet fired a slap shot that went wide and off the glass.  The puck then landed on the stick of left winger Matt Moulson who banked one off of Lundqvist skate and in.  The goal was Moulson's team-leading twenty-ninth of the year.  The Rangers would answer back at the 16:03 mark when Richards would get his second goal by firing a slap shot by Nabokov's blocker, to tie the game.  The goals were Richards' twentieth, and twenty-first.  The Islanders would get a huge momentum boost at the end of the frame.  With his penalty ending defenseman Andrew MacDonald would take a pass from Tavares and go on a breakaway.  MacDonald would capitalize on his chance by burying a wrist shot in the top left corner to give the Islanders the lead going into the third.  The goal was MacDonald's fifth and his second in three games.  
          The third period would see the Rangers score the only goal.  At the 3:29 mark center Brian Boyle would tip a shot by Nabokov, to tie the game.  The goal was Boyle's sixth of the year.  No goals were scored for the rest of the frame and the game went into overtime.
          In the overtime frame the Islanders' defenseman Travis Hamonic would take a costly tripping penalty, which would give the Rangers the four on three power play.  On the ensuing power play at the 4:54 mark of overtime, Rangers right winger Marian Gaborik would bury a wrist shot over the shoulder of Nabokov to seal the win for the Rangers.  The goal was Gaborik's thirty-third of the year.
          With the loss the Islanders record fell to 28-31-10, giving them 66 points on the year.  
          The Islanders will now travel home for a huge meeting with the eighth place Washington Capitals, on Tuesday night.  The puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.    

Islanders Burned By Devils

Islanders #26 Matt Moulson dives for a puck (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

          The Islanders could not get the win in game two of a rare three game set against the New Jersey Devils, losing 5-1.
          The Islanders could not carry the momentum they had from their 1-0 win over the Devils last Sunday afternoon. 
          Devils' left winger, Ilya Kovalchuk, proved to be too much for the Islanders to handle.  He scored once in all three periods to complete his thirteenth career hat trick.  
          With the loss the Islanders lost ground in their hunt for the playoffs.  With Washington beating Tampa Bay, the Isles now sit seven points out of the eighth spot.
          The first period saw the Devils take their first lead of the game.  At the 8:07 mark of the period, Kovalchuk got his own rebound off the boards and snapped a wrist shot over the sprawling Islander goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov, to make it 1-0.  
          The second period didn't start out any better for the Isles.  At the 3:33 mark, Kovalchuk would get his second tally of the night firing a one timer by the pads of Nabokov, to make it 2-0 Devils.  The Islanders would close the gap when at the 16:21 mark Islander defenseman Andrew MacDonald would score from a peculiar angle.  MacDonald would take the puck off the boards, and then from behind the net he flipped one off the back of Devils goalie, Martin Brodeur, to make it 2-1.  The goal was MacDonald's fourth of the year.  
          The third period is one the Islanders would love to wash from their memory, as it was all New Jersey.  It started at the 7:05 mark when center Patrick Elias would get a rebound off Nabokov and bury it into the empty net.  The goal was Elias' twenty-third of the year.  Just over a minute later at the 8:09 mark Kovalchuk would complete his hat trick by firing another slap shot by Nabokov, to make it 4-1.  The goals were Kovalchuk's twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth.  The Devils would add insult to injury at the 15:59 when defenseman David Clarkson tipped one by Nabokov to ice the game at 5-1.  The goal was Clarkson's twenty-seventh of the year.  
          The Islanders and Devils will complete their trilogy at the Coliseum on Saturday night.  Puck drop is 7 PM.