Twelve days after 10,118 people packed the Coliseum to watch Tavares became the fourth No. 1 overall draft pick in Islanders history, the 18-year-old prolific junior scorer greeted the nearly 500 fans at the public event. After a video showing highlights of draft night in Montreal concluded on the lowered scoreboard, Tavares stepped to the podium. The crowd cheered widely as Snow handed him an Islanders alternate blue uniform baring No. 91, which he wore as an amateur.

“You’re gonna like it here, John,” one fan yelled as Tavares pulled the jersey over his gray dress shirt he wore with a black suit.

Tavares comes to a last-place Islanders team that scored the second fewest goals in the NHL after failing to crack the 200-goal plateau. Enter Tavares, who notched 72 goals in 2006-07 to break Wayne Gretzky’s OHL single-season record.

Despite wearing a number that once belonged to Butch Goring, the glory days might not return swiftly. Tavares said he is brushing up on his history about players like Goring, who was a part of the Isles four Stanley Cup championship squads. Before thinking about a title, Tavares said he is excited to join a young club that will be looking to lead the Islanders to its first playoff series victory since 1993.

“I hope to be one part of many and contribute to rebuilding the franchise and bringing it back to where it should be and bring success back here,” Tavares said. “I think the organization deserves it; the fans deserve it and I know the players want it.”

Tavares shared the stage with Snow and coach Scott Gordon. In the first row of seats were his parents, sister, owner Charles Wang and Josh Bailey. The sight of Bailey, last year’s first-round pick, alongside Tavares marked two key pieces of Snow’s rebuilding plan.

Tavares will get his professional career started Friday during the team’s prospect camp at the Syosset-based Iceworks practice facility. Like Bailey, Tavares might be able to propel a strong showing there into meaningful minutes in his first NHL season. He is expected to join a core that features fellow former first-rounder Kyle Okposo as the three key forwards on a team that failed to have one 20-goal scorer last season.

“It’s a much bigger stage now being in the National Hockey League and there will be new experiences, but dealing with this when I was 14 and handling all the cameras, the requests, the fan attention and the eyes on me definitely will help me through my process,” Tavares said about performing in New York.

Gordon said he is excited to have a pure scorer like Tavares come aboard after the centerman finished his junior career with 215 goals. Tavares was good that the high-pressure OHL amended its rule that no players younger than 15 be drafted, allowing the Oshawa Generals to take him first overall as a 14-year old four years ago.

“John has a special, god-given ability to score,” Gordon said. “He’s going to continue to get chances and it’s just a question of what his success rate he’ll have with NHL goalies. If he continues with the way his whole career has been to this point, hopefully it will carry on.”

Snow kept his draft choice’s identity secret up until the announcement, leading to speculation that the Islanders would select defense Victor Hedman or center Matt Duchene. But the GM said Tavares’ body of work made the decision easy and his MVP performance for Team Canada during the World Junior Championship stood out as a performance that cemented his credentials.

“I think it was more of a package, not just one play,” Snow said. “But I was at the US-Canada game where the US went up early and John was an impact player in that game.”

Gordon was non-committal if Tavares would wear the captain’s “C” or be an assistant. It’s possible he might not even start the season with the parent club, though the teenager will secure a spot on the Islanders if he continues his career trajectory of excelling at every level. With training camp about two months away, Tavares said he is setting simple goals.

“I just want to be a valuable part of the team and one guy of many who contributes night in and night out,” Tavares said. “I want to be consistent and develop into a complete player and that leadership guy.

“I think can contribute in all areas in the big moments when it matters most.”

In moving Gomez, the Rangers clear major space on the salary cap since he is due to make $7.4 million next year, while Higgins only made$1.9 million and is a restricted free agent. Yet, general manager Glen Sather managed to get the talented Smithtown native back in the trade.

Higgins, 26, has skated in 282 regular season contests with Montreal, recording 84 goals and 67 assists for 151 points, along with 96 penalty minutes.  The 6-0, 205-pounder has eclipsed the 20-goal mark three times.  In 2007-08, he established career-highs in games played (82), goals (27), assists (25), points (52), power play goals (12), game-winning goals (five), and shots (241).  He led Montreal in shots, tied for second on the team in power play goals and game-winning goals, and ranked third in goals.  He was also one of only three Canadiens to skate in all 82 games during the season.  Higgins registered 11 points (six goals and five assists) in the first 13 games of the season, and went on to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the third straight year.

And the Rangers shed Gomez, whose contract was becoming an albatross. After signing back in 2007, the former New Jersey Devil was supposed to the answer for Jaromir Jagr, but never could jell with the Hall of Fame right wing. He bounced around looking for the right combination, but it never seemed to work like it did back in New Jersey.

He now becomes the latest ex-New Jersey Devil to become a Rangers’ failure.

The move also signals a busy day tomorrow for Sather as free agency opens. Now with cap space, Sather will look for a sniper, while also remolding the team in Tortorella’s image.

Ovechkin just too much for the Isles. (Brian Bohl/NYSD)

UNIONDALE, NY– Injuries and a sputtering offense continues to exacerbate problems in a dismal Islanders season. But for all the organization’s talk about a youth movement, the club was able to see what a young, home-grown star really looks like.

Alex Ovechkin continued the Islanders misery, scoring both of Washington’s goals in a 2-1 overtime victory for the Capitals in a Monday matinee contest. The Islanders continued to be winless in 2009 but picked up a point for the first time in January thanks to Kyle Okposo’s game-tying power play goal 12:18 into the third period.

Okposo was just one of the many young players who spent time in AHL this season or 2007-08, though Washington seems to be doing just fine going young. The 23-year-old Ovechkin is the reigning Art Ross trophy winner as the NHL’s leading scorer and notched goals 30 and 31, including the game-winner off Alexander Semin’s one-time feed 1:46 into overtime. Ovechkin has cracked the 30-goal plateau in his first four seasons.

“It was a sick pass,” said Ovechkin, who also scored a game-winning overtime goal at the Coliseum in December. “I thought he gave it to me a little earlier, but it’s Semin, so he created opportunities for me to score goals.

“They played hard and played a physical game against us. I think we were kind of sleepy and didn’t play our best game today. But it’s always fun when you win the game, especially in overtime.”

Islanders fans might want to look away instead of processing the numbers. Take your pick: 0-7-1 record this month, a 2-17-3 mark in the last 22 games and 0-3-1 in the past four home contests. Don’t forget 29 points, which is the league’s lowest total by eight points.

Yann Danis started the season as the third string goalie but made his third straight start filling in after injuries to Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald. Danis was making his 14th NHL experience and looked shaky early in the opening period.

Brendan Witt’s roughing penalty put the Capitals on the power play. Washington took advantage, working along the blue line to find open space. Mike Green slid a hard pass to Ovechkin, who fired a one-time shot from the top of the left circle past Danis for a power play goal 6:35.

It marked Ovechkin’s fourth straight 30-goal season. He joins elite company in Capitals history. Only Peter Bondra and Mike Gartner accomplished at least four consecutive 30-goal seasons in the franchise’s history.

Danis settled down, turning aside 36 shots. He still dropped to 0-6 this year and is looking for his first NHL win since 2005. The Islanders have scored just one goal in four straight games, making it tough for any goalie to succeed.

“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable as I play in more games,” Danis said. “I felt good.”

Okposo finally ended the Isles pointless streak at seven. Nicklas Backstrom put the home team on the power play and Ovechkin turned it into a 5-on-3 situation four seconds later when he lifted a clearing attempt over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty.

Mike Comrie kept the play alive with a good keep at far left blue line, sending it to Mark Streit at the other point. The All-Star defenseman sent it down to Frans Nielsen, who fired a hard pass across the crease to an open Okposo.

The winger added his sixth goal, firing a one-time shot from point-blank range to tie it at 1 with 7:42 left after Washington’s Jeff Schultz couldn’t get over in time to stop the pass and Jose Theodore was late getting over.

“In three out of the four games, we were right in there,” Okposo said. “We outplayed teams at times. We just haven’t been able to get the breaks but our chance will come.”

Theodore made 27 saves. Danis outplayed his counterpart for the most part, making 20 saves in the second and third period. He nearly made one mistake with 14:32 left in the third and Caps nursing the 1-0 lead. Okposo broke his stick on a power play attempt and Danis raced far out of the net to clear the puck. Instead, his weak pass went right to a streaking Ovechkin’s stick blade.

The perennial All-Star couldn’t capitalize, sending a shot at the vacant net’s right side. Danis enjoyed a fortuitous bounce, gloving the puck while diving pack to the crease. Danis started the season as the Sound Tigers starting goalie. Thrust into the spotlight, the 27-year-old has played well in allowing just seven goals in his three starts, though coach Scott Gordon was not willing to give his netminder a pass for his mistakes.

“Obviously, he made some pretty good saves,” Gordon said. “I have concerns about the first goal going through him, and also the puck play that almost resulted in an empty-netter. Right now he’s got an opportunity and he’s got to make the most of it.”

There was some controversy regarding the Capitals overtime power play goal. Ovechkin drew a slashing penalty on Witt in neutral ice. Ovechkin said the reason for the infraction was simple.

“He broke my stick,” Ovechkin said. “That’s why it [the minor penalty] was called.”

Witt disagreed.

“I didn’t break it,” he said. “I’m not that strong to do it with one hand.”

Regardless, the penalty set up a 4-on-3 because of the overtime rules, and Ovechkin found the open net 21 seconds later. That goal moved him one past Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter for the league lead.