"To the surprise of no one, Islanders coach Scott Gordon said yesterday that Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro would split time in net "for the short term, anyway."

That leaves goalie Martin Biron on the outside looking in and likely as trade bait. General manager Garth Snow said he is not concerned that Biron's potential lack of playing time might have an adverse impact on his trade value.

"There's no rush from my standpoint," Snow said yesterday. "Marty's body of work speaks for itself. People know what he's capable of."

Snow said that he was pleased with what he saw from DiPietro, who played his first game over a year in Friday night's 4-3 loss to Dallas.

"I thought it was a big step in the right direction," Snow said. "It's not going to be an overnight process. It's a big positive for him and our organization, and it's going to continue to evolve."

The next part of the evolution will come within a week, according to Gordon, who said that DiPietro will play again by next Tuesday's game against the Penguins, though it will likely happen sooner.

Roloson, who continues his excellent season, is expected to start tonight when the Isles host Detroit."