Garth Snow never doubted whom he would pick with the Islanders’ top selection over the summer and John Tavares has made the Islanders’ GM look good for much of his rookie season.
Lately, however, the young center has seen his production slip significantly, as Tavares only has one point in his last eight games.
But that’s not a cause for concern for Snow.
“He’s 19 years old,” Snow said of Tavares, who has 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists) in his first 40 games in the NHL heading into tonight’s match against Columbus at the Coliseum. “Any time a young guy is going to come out of juniors or college hockey into this league, it’s not going to be a seamless transition.”
For a while, it seemed as though it might be, but a condensed schedule, combined with a lack of scoring power surrounding him, has made things tougher on Tavares.
“We’re satisfied with where he is,” Snow said. “He’s going through a tough stretch, just like any young player does. He’ll be fine.”
* The ongoing rehab of Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro continued yesterday, as he worked out at the team’s practice facility in Syosset in hopes of playing a game for Bridgeport in the AHL this weekend.
“Right now, we’d like to see him play a full game,” Snow said.
DiPietro hasn’t suited up since he was pulled after two periods on Dec. 11 in his second rehab start with the Sound Tigers after experiencing tightness in his leg that the team said was unrelated to his knee injury.
“First, we have to see how he came out of [yesterday] and how he does [today],” Snow said of DiPietro, who will work out again today.
DiPietro was seen by specialists during his 10 days off before he returned to practice just prior to the Christmas break. And after last year’s fiasco, in which DiPietro was limited to five games, the Isles clearly are not going to rush back the 28-year-old.