Isles ready to use the fourth
RALEIGH, N.C. — Thirteen months ago, the Islanders could have broken up the Identity Line.
As last season’s trade deadline approached, the Islanders were out of the playoff race and speculation swirled about Cal Clutterbuck, then on an expiring deal. Clutterbuck was scratched on deadline day in Philadelphia. Dominos were lining up.
And then … the Islanders announced a twoyear extension for Clutterbuck. The scratch, it turned out, was related to a shoulder injury that would prevent him from playing the rest of the season. Not the best way to win over skeptical fans who wanted to see the Islanders retool. But the case to keep Clutterbuck — and by transitive property, to keep Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin on the fourth line — was a vision that foresaw the Islanders in exactly the situation in which they currently find themselves. Back in the playoffs, first-round underdogs and needing to rely on the same grind-you-down style of play that got them to two straight conference finals in 2020 and 2021.
Clutterbuck has dealt with a slew of injuries this season, playing just 49 games in the regular season, and Martin seems to be dealing with a minor issue that kept him from fully participating in practice Friday and Saturday. But they’ll be on the ice for Game 1 in Raleigh against the Hurricanes on Monday, doing exactly what you’d expect of them.
“I think this year was frustrating for me personally at certain times, but those things happen,” Clutterbuck said Saturday. “I don’t know if I spoke about this before, but the motivation for staying in shape and rehabbing and getting [back from] those injuries is this. The chance to be ready to go and be healthy for those moments this time of year.”
This is where the Identity Line has thrived in the past and where it could do so again — when everyone else starts to shift toward the style of hockey they play all season long. Age be damned.
“I think Casey, Cal and myself, we’ve played a lot of playoff games and we try to play the same way every night,” Martin, a full participant in Sunday’s practice, said. “Playoff hockey is a little more geared towards the type of game we want to play. I don’t think we want to take a lot of risks. Put a lot of pucks in, try to be physical and try to capitalize on opportunities that way.
“Generally, you see less power plays in the playoffs, great five-onfive hockey. And we have an opportunity to leave our mark on the series and have success.”
The advanced numbers are not especially kind to the old-school fourth line, which was on the ice for more goals against than goals for this season, and which had a 39.96 expected goals rate, per Natural Stat Trick. But ask anyone in the league about the Islanders and it will be one of the first things they bring up, and ask anyone in the Islanders’ dressing room and they will tell you how vital the fourth line is.
Especially in Game 1, when the Islanders can try to set a script for the series to follow, they’ll need the fourth line to be running on all cylinders.
“They’ve done it in the past before,” Mathew Barzal said. “They’re gonna be flying, I’m sure. They bring it for 82 [games] so it’s not like it’s gonna change in the playoffs.”
“It’s been their M.O. for years,” Anders Lee said. “They do a phenomenal job.”
And this is their time.
“It’s the first game in the series, it’s a tone-setter,” Martin said. “We come in and play our game and try to dictate the pace of play. Try to frustrate them. It’s gonna be a long series, obviously you play the same team over and over again. We gotta be physical, we gotta be hard on them.”