John Tavares skated yesterday in a Team USA jersey, the result of a bet he lost to Doug Weight when the Americans beat Canada in the junior World Championships last month.
It could have been worse, since Tavares had just come off a game in which he snapped a streak of nine straight games without a goal.
“It was nice to get one early,” Tavares said after yesterday’s practice at Nassau Coliseum, where the Isles will host the Devils today. “I’d have liked to have finished a few more chances though.”
Such is life for a top overall pick who is used to scoring goals almost at will. But his veteran teammates think the occasional trouble Tavares has had this year will eventually pay off.
“It’s gotta be frustrating because he’s had success consistently at every level,” Richard Park said. “Ultimately, it will be good for him to go through these stretches where he struggles because every great player has gone through something like that at some point. The biggest challenge for him is to learn to deal with adversity.”
He’s done a pretty good job of that and would no doubt like to limit the adversity he faces the rest of the year. His goal in the shootout win over Buffalo on Saturday came on the newly created line that he shares with fellow former Islander first-round picks, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.
“[Bailey] has been playing great lately and Kyle has been all year,” Tavares said. “We all bring something different to the line. And we want be out there in big situations, whether we need to score a goal or keep one out.”
They looked good against the Sabres and Tavares’ tally did not come as a surprise to Scott Gordon, who talked earlier about him improving, despite not having been able to score.
“As you go through the year as a first-year player, you figure out some things on your own then you have to hit rock bottom, where nothing’s going right,” Gordon said. “Then all of a sudden, you start paying attention to details . . . It’s been building for him. He’s getting better every game.”
That’s something he’s beginning to understand, even if his output is inconsistent.
“There are going to be times when it’s not going my way offensively,” Tavares said. “Overall, my game has changed a lot and I’m a more efficient player. Everything else will take care of itself.”
⇒ Rick DiPietro was given yesterday off after guiding the Isles to a shootout win on Saturday, his first since Dec. 26, 2008.