DiPietro undergoes MRI on knee

Dec 27, 2007 - 10:04 PM OTTAWA (Ticker) -- New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro underwent an MRI on Thursday after injuring his left knee in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

DiPietro, who surrendered two goals on the first four shots he he faced, left Wednesday's game after the first period. The 26-year-old was replaced in goal by Wade Dubielewicz, who stopped 22 of 23 shots.

The Islanders did not provide an update on DiPietro's condition, but coach Ted Nolan told New York Newsday that he didn't think his franchise goaltender would be sidelined for an extended period of time.

"We don't think it's serious," Nolan told the newspaper. "DiPietro pulled himself. Give him full marks for attempting to try it."

DiPietro, who was the first overall selection in the 2000 draft, received a league-record 15-year contract worth $67.5 million on September 12, 2006. Such a long deal was considered very risky if DiPietro were to suffer a long-term injury.

DiPietro became the youngest goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in a season in 2005-06. He is coming off the best campaign of his career, going 32-19-9 with a 2.58 GAA and a career-high five shutouts last season.

The Islanders recalled goaltender Joey McDonald from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League to back up Dubielewicz, who will start Thursday's contest at Ottawa.

Losing DiPietro would be a huge blow for the Islanders, who are currently tied with Pittsburgh and Toronto for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

DiPietro has played in all but two of the Islanders' 35 games this season, posting a 16-13-2 record with a 2.47 goals-against average.

However, Dubielewicz proved a capable backup at the end of last season, when DiPietro missed the final eight games with a concussion.