On the Islanders Beat

Scott Gordon had a right to be upset with his team for coming out on its heels after a four-day layoff and allowing Washington to take charge in the first period last night at Verizon Center with two power-play goals and a 17-8 advantage in shots. But the fact is that the Islanders fought back to tie the game at 2 at the end of the second period with help from goaltender Joey MacDonald, who stopped repeated breakaway scoring chances by the Capitals.

The real problem for the Islanders is the third period, which is where this season might go to die if the trend continues. Without question, the Isles are the worst third-period team in the NHL. They're the only team that has suffered three regulation losses when leading after three periods plus an overtime loss, and they've been outscored in the third period by the disgraceful count of 40-20.

After the second period, Gordon told his players they hadn't played their best hockey but had every opportunity to win the game, especially since they began the final period with 1:52 of power-play time. But when it ended, the Isles were 5-2 losers after surrendering three goals, including an empty-netter.

"We had an opportunity on our power play in the third period to do something, and we didn't," Gordon said. "That's a big thing. You're losing an opportunity to potentially take the lead and get them second-guessing and thinking about where they've been with their recent struggles with injuries. But we didn't do that. These things, when you're not playing well, add up. It's like we're getting what we deserve. We didn't deserve the breaks. We shouldn't even get into that situation."

Gordon brushed off a question about the Islanders' rally, saying, "I think the fact we came back was great, but it's only great if you build on it in the third period, and we didn't."

Defenseman Mark Streit echoed Gordon's frustration with the third-period execution. "In the last period, we couldn't get control," Streit said. "We were doing breakouts the whole time. We're not going to score like that. They were a little quicker and stronger on faceoffs. We've got to dig in. That's a big part of the game today. We didn't skate enough. If we don't skate, we have trouble to be in position with our system."

It's pretty simple for the Islanders. Keep skating or die trying. Yes, Gordon's system demands a lot of effort to sustain pressure in the offensive zone a full 60 minutes. When Washington coach Bruce Boudreau was asked if he thought Gordon's success with that kind of attack could translate from the AHL to the NHL with it's higher skill level, he had an answer that was right on point. "It's all about hard work," Boudreau said, "and I think the guys in this league work every bit as hard as anyone in the American League."

There's no excuse for the Islanders not to go as hard in the third as they do earlier in most games.

ISLES FILES: Enforcer Mitch Fritz once again played only four shifts lasting 1:26 in the first period. He was charged with a hooking penalty in the neutral zone but got away with it when the Capitals failed to score. As good a fighter as Fritz is, there's a reason he hasn't made it to the NHL until now. If there's an upside to using a roster spot for such a limited player, it's that there was extra time for forwards like Tim Jackman and Jeff Tambellini and for the comebacking Mike Sillinger…Speaking of Tambellini, his scoring troubles are featured in the lead item of Islanders Insider, which may be accessed by clicking here.

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.

If it weren't for bad luck, Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek wouldn't have any luck at all. Martinek, who apparently banged up his right shoulder in Saturday's win over Ottawa was back on the ice during practice today at Iceworks in Syosset when he accidentally collided with teammate Andy Sutton.

The impact wasn't especially hard, but Martinek headed to the bench with his right shoulder hanging a bit. He was examined by trainer Garrett Timms and then headed for the locker room. A few minutes later, Martinek emerged in the suit he brought to wear on the plane to Washington this afternoon, but there was an obvious lump on his shoulder where the ice bag was taped.

Presumably, he was headed out to get an examination. Coach Scott Gordon had no immediate details on Martinek's status, but it obviously doesn't look good for him in terms of playing against the Capitals tomorrow night at the Verizon Center. Gordon said he has to consult with general manager Garth Snow about the decision on a replacement, but Thomas Pock practiced with the team and would be the logical choice since Bruno Gervais (leg) still is nursing his injuries.

"It's unfortunate," said defenseman Brendan Witt, Martinek's regular partner. "Marty's a good competitor. I feel bad for the guy when stuff like this happens. But he's resilient. We'll just have to do without him for a little bit…He's been tender here and there, but he's managed to battle through it."

ISLES FILES: Forwards Kyle Okposo (right hand), Nate Thompson (foot) and Mike Comrie (right hip) remain out…C Mike Sillinger skated with LW Mitch Fritz and RW Tim Jackman and will make his first start since last January. He worked on the power play, and one would expect his faceoff prowess to result in significant ice time in the third period, especially if the Isles are in the position of protecting a lead.

BY MARCUS HENRY

It was a small step, but it was a step that the Islanders are certain to be happy about.

Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro skated at practice Tuesday for the second day in a row.

DiPietro, who's been on injured reserve since undergoing knee surgery on October 27, skated without pads for approximately 30 minutes Tuesday. On Monday the seventh-year goalie skated for about 40 minutes.

DiPietro hasn't played since he logged 20 minutes in a 4-3 loss to Carolina on October 25.

"I felt good ... It's been a long time," DiPietro said. "I've been looking forward to getting back."

There is no timetable for the return of DiPietro, who said he has to prove to team doctors that he is 100 percent.

Ninth overall draft pick Josh Bailey could have returned quietly to Windsor as soon as he recovered from the lower body injury he suffered in training camp, and all concerned would have praised the skill he showed and the wisdom of the club to let him mature as captain of the Spitfires and a member of Team Canada at the World Junior Championships after Christmas in Ottawa.

But quite simply, the Islanders need a bright light like Bailey far more than he needs them. In the midst of their struggles in the third period to hold leads and sustain an aggressive attack, Bailey's continued development has been one of the sources of evidence that management might be on the right track in building for the future, which can't come soon enough for general manager Garth Snow and coach Scott Gordon.

As disappointed as he was by Bailey's injury sidelining him after one NHL exhibition, Gordon said it actually worked in the rookie's favor in the long run. Mike Comrie's problems with his hip surgery created an opening at center, and the multiple leg injuries that knocked Frans Nielsen out for 8-12 weeks opened up time for Bailey on the first power-play unit.

When Bailey finished rehabbing what is believed to have been a groin-related injury, management had a decision to make. "Do we bring someone up from Bridgeport? Or do we take advantage of Josh being here and give him a second look?," Gordon said this morning at the news conference to announce Bailey will remain with the Isles this season. "With Frans being out, I don't think there was anybody in Bridgeport that had the skill level of Josh . There's offensive players, but not with the abilities of Josh.

"Once we decided he was going to play, the first couple of games, he held his own. So, we said, 'Let's see what we've got here.' Really, he's been very consistent in every game he's played. I would like to think he's only going to continue to improve."

As Gordon said, Bailey never had the look of "a deer in the headlights." He's yet to score his first goal, but he has five assists in nine games, and he made a move in Friday's 7-2 loss at Boston where he threaded a pass betwee two or three defenders in the Bruins' zone right to linemate Andy Hilbert, who was unable to get off the shot he wanted but also was probably surprised to even get the puck in that situation.

" I think it really comes down to the maturity of the player, and Josh is a mature player and person," Gordon said. "Like I said, he's done everything right that we've asked him to do…Whoever he's going to play with down the road is going to be a better player because he's one of those players who can make something out of nothing. That's an exciting thing to have because those players are hard to find."

That play might have been the best indication yet that Bailey is capable of giving the Islanders the flashy playmaking he exhibited with Windsor. "That's my game, and that's what I do best," he said this morning. "I'm going to try to keep improving on that and bring it to this level."

Recalling how bleak his chances of staying in the NHL appeared when he was out for six weeks before making his NHL debut on Nov. 11, Bailey said, "Obviously, there were times I was sitting in my hotel room thinking it was almost a matter of time before I went back to junior. But I was fortunate to get the opportunity, and I've got to thank them for that."

Bailey's confidence level only has grown over the nine games he's played prior to tonight's contest against Ottawa at the Coliseum that will activate the first year of his entry-level deal worth up to $5.25 million. He talked about that with Snow and Gordon when they called him to the front of the plane on the way back from Boston last night to give him the news.

"Once they told me I was staying, they were just talking and one of the things I said is that I'm starting to get my confidence as a player," Bailey said. "The first couple games, I wouldn't want the puck as much, and I'd be quick to get rid of it. But now, I'm feeling, 'Give me the puck.' I'm ready to hold onto it a little more and try and do the plays that I would do last year and try and play my game a little more."

After landing, Bailey said he let his former teammates know via Facebook that he was an Islander for good now. He called the Spitfires coaches and also spoke to a couple of his buddies in juniors directly. He said all his thank yous and let them know he'd be around Windsor for a bit next summer and wished them the best in winning the Memorial Cup. With a 23-3-0 record, they seem to be doing just fine.

On Sunday, Bailey will move out of the Uniondale Marriott and into a home in Roslyn Heights with fellow Isles Bruno Gervais, Kyle Okposo and Nate Thompson. "I'm excited to pack up," he said. "It won't be an emotional goodbye [to hotel life]."

Recently, Snow said that, if Bailey made the team, his place would be with the Isles rather than Team Canada. So, the Ottawa media in town for tonight's game asked if he'd miss an extra visit to their city. "You think about it a bit," Bailey said. "It wouldn't be a bad thing. It would be a really fun situation to be in. Playing for your country is always a good thing. But my focus was here with this team. That's the No. 1 goal, and I'm happy being able to accomplish getting to stay."

ISLES FILES: Goaltender Yann Danis, who stopped 45 of 46 shots in Bridgeport's 4-1 comeback win over Hartford on Friday, has been recalled to serve as backup to Joey MacDonald. Rookie Peter Mannino, who gave up three goals on eight shots in relief yesterday in Boston has gone back to the Sound Tigers.

Danis lost his only Islanders start when Montreal scored four third-period goals in a 5-4 win. But three games in BP were a confidence booster. "Yeah, it definitely helped," Danis said. "It was good to feel the puck a little bit and get back into some sort of rhythm. Played three in a row there. Two last weekend and one last night. Things went really well last night. It was good to get back into it and get some confidence, too."

Only RW Kyle Okposo (hand), C Mike Comrie (hip surgery) and D Thomas Pock (healthy scratch) skated this morning. It was Comrie's first time to skate with the equipment on since going on injured reserve on Nov. 11. Comrie spoke at length about what he's been through with his hip and how it has affected his game, and I'll post the whole thing in the next couple of days. For now he said: "I want to come back the way I started the season last year when I was fully healthy. I want to feel I can help make a difference in the game and that the team can rely on me. Before I was hurt this year, before I went to Colorado [where hip surgery was performed in May at the Steadman Clinic], I felt like I wasn't at the level I needed to be and that was the reason why."

Mike Sillinger scored a goal in the Sound Tigers' four-goal third period yesterday and will complete his three-game AHL conditioning stint tonight. It's conceivable he could be available for the Islanders' next game Thursday in Washington…Okposo certainly will be ready for the Capitals.

As if there were any suspense left to rookie Josh Bailey's status at this point, the Islanders just issued the official announcement that the 19-year-old center will be with the team the rest of this season as predicted in this space a couple of weeks ago. Bailey has five assists in nine games and will play his 10th against Ottawa tonight at the Coliseum, activating the first year of his three-year entry-level contract worth up to $5.25 million with all bonuses.

Following a team meeting this morning, Bailey and coach Scott Gordon will be available to the media, and we will have an update here.

ISLES FILES: Kyle Okposo (hand) is still on the ice with the extra skaters, meaning he's not back in the lineup tonight…C Mike Comrie (hip surgery) is with Okposo for the first time in public with the team since he went on injured reserve for more rehab related to his hip surgery.

Scott Gordon was far from angry at goaltender Joey MacDonald after Blake Wheeler and David Krejci scored 10 seconds apart in the third period to break open a one-goal game and start a five-goal third period as Boston crushed the Islanders 7-2 this afternoon at TD Banknorth Garden. MacDonald already had made his share of difficult saves to give the Isles a chance to win for more than 46 minutes.

Gordon said he likes his goaltenders to fight through adversity earlier this season when MacDonald suffered through a 7-1 rout with Rick DiPietro on the bench and termed healthy enough to play. But this was different. The Islanders have another fight against Ottawa Saturday night at the Coliseum, and after watching rookie Peter Mannino get torched for three goals on eight shots in his NHL debut, Gordon will give MacDonald his 14th straight start against the Senators.

"Joey was outstanding for us," Gordon said. "I didn't like the way we were playing at the end of the second period, and it started to snowball into the third period. I didn't want to expose him to poor play in front of him when we have to play tomorrow. I said to him when he came to the bench, 'Don't even worry about it. You'll be back in there tomorrow.' When you ride him a long period of time, you have to identify the situations where it's time to take him out."

The Islanders have suffered several third-period meltdowns this season, but they usually happen after 40 minutes of quality play. Not so in Boston, where the Bruins manhandled the Isles the whole game. As much as the Islanders might have wanted to attack and force turnovers in Boston's end, Gordon admitted his team had trouble gaining possession of the puck, especially from the Bruins' defensemen.

For MacDonald, it was like standing in the middle of a freeway and trying to stop tractor-trailers coming at him doing 80 miles per hour because the Islanders never really established their forecheck. "The 'D' were back, and our forwards didn't come back and help," MacDonald said. "There was a big gap between the two, and it seemed like when our 'D' got it, they didn't have much to do with it. They had to just throw it up the boards, and that causes turnovers.

"You've got to have everybody on the same page. I don't think the forwards and the 'D' were on the same page. We just couldn't get anything going after the first period…The [Bruins have] a great team, guys with a lot of skill and guys that work every shift. They've got big 'D', big physical bodies. They played the same the whole game. First period, we stayed with them, and after that, we kind of watched them."

ISLES FILES: For one of the few times this season, Gordon complained about the officiating, especially a hit from behind by Boston's Milan Lucic on Islanders forward Tim Jackman. "That looked like a hit from behind," Gordon said of the Lucic hit. "There was another hit where Jon Sim gets high-sticked pretty good and there's no call. Some nights, those are five-minute majors, and we could have used them tonight."…The Bruins outshot the Isles 32-15 over the last two periods…Jeff Tambellini played his 100th NHL game (4-15-19) and has gone 40 games without a goal extending back to last season…As expected, the Islanders likely will announce tomorrow morning that rookie Josh Bailey will play his 10th NHL game against the Senators, activating the first year of his three-year entrty-level contract.