Despite his comments after Monday’s 2-1 win over the Wild, Islanders coach Jack Capuano is doing everything he can not to ladle pressure on the already-burdened shoulders of his 21-year-old center, John Tavares.
“When goal scorers aren’t scoring, I try to stay away from them,” Capuano said yesterday in reference to Tavares’ zero points and minus-2 rating through the season’s first two games.
“The last thing I want to do is make guys grab their sticks and play tighter,” Capuano said. “I want them to play loose and relaxed. When they do that, and they don’t worry about it and don’t think about it, then good things will happen.”
Though the Islanders won that game after opening the season with a deflating loss to the Panthers, Capuano still made a point about his team getting “cute in the neutral zone.” When the Isles take on the Lightning tonight at the Coliseum, the coach would prefer to see a much simpler game.
“At times, instead of trying to force it, we need to make simple plays,” Tavares said. “I think maybe because a lot of those penalties [the team spent 12:04 on the penalty kill vs. the Wild], we were trying to create stuff and trying to get some momentum back and trying to get back into the offensive zone. That can happen sometimes.”
Just before this season, Tavares signed a six-year extension for $33 million. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 is now more committed to the franchise than the franchise is committed to the Coliseum, where the Islanders’ lease runs out in 2015.
“He’s a very determined and focused individual,” said Matt Moulson, his linemate for the past two seasons. “I don’t think you can say he wants it so much he’s trying to force it because he always wants it so much.”
Now Tavares needs to turn his desire into points that result in wins.
“Well, I’m trying to score,” Tavares said. “I’m trying to work as hard as I can and I think me working as hard as I can is not me trying to force the issue.”
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Goalie Rick DiPietro was hit in the helmet by a Brian Rolston slap shot during yesterday’s practice and was down on the ice for about 15 seconds. He was wearing the old-style Chris Osgood-inspired mask, and coming off the ice the helmet had a large black mark just over the cage on the right side.
DiPietro was evaluated and no injury was determined. He will be re-evaluated before tonight’s game.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Capuano said.