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Snow still has belief in Isles

New York Islanders Name John Tavares Team Captain

BETHPAGE, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: General Manager of the New York Islanders Garth Snow addresses the media during a press conference naming John Tavares the New York Islanders team captain at Carlyle on the Green on September 9, 2013 in Bethpage, New York. (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images)

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Garth Snow held court with reporters this morning, trying to make his case that the New York Islanders will be fine.

“I have a lot of belief in everyone in that room,” the embattled general manager said, per Newsday. ���[Head coach Jack Capuano], the staff, our players, I have a lot of confidence in everyone in that room. The great part about facing adversity is you see who rises to the top. It doesn’t always feel easy for our fans, when you face adversity it’s a great challenge and I look forward to seeing who rises to that challenge.”

Snow went on to thank the club’s new owners for their ongoing support, adding that he has permission to make any trades he sees fit. If something makes sense, he’ll pull the trigger. That being said, he doesn’t believe a trade is absolutely necessary, because, again, he believes in the players he’s already got.

Read more: Let’s find John Tavares some scoring help

In spite of Snow’s faith, the Isles are currently last in the Eastern Conference with a 5-8-3 record. They host the defending champs from Pittsburgh tonight, followed by a three-game road trip through California.

If they were playing well and just getting unlucky, perhaps there would be less concern. But the Isles are not playing well, far from it. They’ve been undisciplined; they haven’t had the puck enough; their special teams have been poor; and their goalies have been mediocre, despite still having three to choose from.

The Isles, in fact, have but one victory in the month of November, and that was over a Vancouver side that had lost eight straight on its way to Brooklyn. And if you watched the game, you’ll know the Canucks easily could’ve won.

Monday against Tampa Bay, the Isles were dominated at home in a 4-0 defeat, their third regulation loss to the Lightning this month alone. The shots ended up, 34-31, in New York’s favor, but only because the Bolts parked the bus in the third period.

All of which is to say it will be interesting to see if Snow’s faith is rewarding. These days, he’s about the only one with anything good to say about his group.

“I believe in the guys we have in that room right now,” he said. “It will never prevent us from looking to improve our team, but those guys in there are going to rise to the top and I have a lot of belief in them.”

Related: Snow gives Cappy a vote of confidence