AO, Malkin and MacDonald top stars of November

NEW YORK -- Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and New York Islanders goaltender Joey MacDonald have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for November.

FIRST STAR -- ALEX OVECHKIN, LW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
  Ovechkin highlights

Ovechkin led all NHL scorers with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and had a +9 rating in 14 games, helping the Capitals post an 8-5-2 record --  the most wins by the club in November since 1996 (9-5-1). Ovechkin recorded points in 11 games, including a 10-game point streak from Nov. 10-28 -- the NHL's second-longest in 2008-09. The reigning NHL MVP ended a nine-game goal drought by tallying in five consecutive games from Nov. 10-19 and recorded his sixth career hat trick in a 5-3 victory over Atlanta Nov. 26. Ovechkin climbed to fifth in the NHL points race with 30 (13 goals, 17 assists) in 22 games in his bid to capture the Art Ross Trophy for the second consecutive season. He leads all players in shots on goal (117), is tied for third in goals and tied for fourth in plus-minus (+13). Ovechkin's selection marks the second consecutive month a Capitals player has earned the League's First Star award, following Alexander Semin (October).

SECOND STAR -- EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Malkin highlights

Malkin ranked second among NHL scorers with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 12 games, moving into the League scoring lead and helping the Penguins post a 9-2-1 record. Malkin recorded assists in the first six games of the month, extending his consecutive-game assist streak to 13 -- the longest in the NHL since Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr had assists in 16 consecutive games in January/February 2001. Malkin registered a pair of four-point games, notching a goal and three assists in 5-2 victory over Buffalo Nov. 15 and tallying his third career hat trick and an assist in a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders Nov. 26. Malkin (10-29--39) and Penguins teammate Sidney Crosby (13-21--34) rank 1-2 in League scoring.

THIRD STAR -- JOEY MacDONALD, G, NEW YORK ISLANDERS MacDonald highlights

MacDonald, who entered the 2008-09 season with 17 career NHL appearances with Detroit, Boston and the Islanders over a seven-year pro career, has excelled in relief of Rick DiPietro, who has been sidelined with a knee injury. MacDonald made 14 consecutive starts from Nov. 3-29, posting an 8-5-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. He led all goaltenders in games (14), minutes (842) and shots faced (439), and shared the lead in victories. The 28-year-old Pictou, Nova Scotia native made a season-high 38 saves in a 3-2 victory over Ottawa Nov. 15 and outdueled opposing goaltenders Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in shootout victories on Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, respectively.