He’s spent the last month just like this, the situation leaving him to sulk, the frustration causing him to stew.

So there was Rick DiPietro yesterday after the Islanders’ workout in Syosset, peeling off his practice gear and shooing attention away from himself.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to talk to me,” he said. “I didn’t do anything.”

That is DiPietro’s predicament, and there is no word if coach Steve Stirling will help solve it tonight by starting him in goal against visiting Calgary. Stirling, who has stayed with Garth Snow for seven straight games, remained mum on tonight’s goaltender, saying no decision would come until this morning.

Life on the bench bugs DiPietro, whom the Islanders selected first overall in the 2000 entry draft and ordained as a key to their revival. Instead of piloting the team’s trip toward the Stanley Cup, he has become a part-time player for a middling team and, last week, a passenger on the Nassau-to-Bridgeport shuttle.

The 22-year-old played AHL games against Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton on the last two days of 2003, losing both starts. The Islanders recalled him Friday, and he spent Saturday night watching Snow manage a 3-3 tie with Boston.

“Bridgeport was fine,” DiPietro said. “It was good to get in there and play a couple of games.”

The minor league contests marked his first action since Dec. 21, when Stirling pulled him after he allowed three goals in Washington. His last NHL start, a 5-2 home victory over Toronto, came one month ago today.

For the season, DiPietro is 7-8-1 with a 2.46 goals against average and one shutout. Now, though, he’s still sitting behind Snow, who has racked up a 6-1-1 mark since relieving DiPietro in Boston.

“There’s no question [Rick is] down,” Stirling said. “It’s a tough situation. He got some games, and he played pretty well. All of a sudden, Snowie got a chance to run with the ball, and we started to win.”