CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Thanks to Lou Lamoriello's grooming etiquette for hockey players, the left winger's shoulder-length coif has been cropped and the right winger's signature 'stache has been shaven. But, make no mistake, that is still Matt Martin and that is still Cal Clutterbuck. And the guy in the middle of them is still Casey Cizikas.
Combined, they are known as the "CCM Line" or New York's longest, but not-continuously-running, off-Broadway hit. They are arguably the best fourth-line in hockey. And they just might be the biggest X-factor for the Islanders in their first-round series against the Penguins which gets under way Wednesday night on Long Island.
"They've been together on and off a couple times and have had success," Matt Cullen was saying. "They're a team that has pretty good depth up front. They roll their four lines and everyone gets their opportunity. They're a part of what they do."
Mike Sullivan bristled when I'd asked about the challenge of defending the Islanders' offense, which rolls four lines liberally under Barry Trotz.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that every team in the league that's in the playoffs right now can roll four lines and that's why they're in the playoffs," Sullivan said. "The Islanders are no different. They have a lot of balance, but we believe we have balance as well."
Indeed, at last check, every team still has four lines. And the Penguins are certainly hoping to achieve a better balance. That would explain why Sullivan placed Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel on separate lines in practice this week.
However, the Islanders' fourth line isn't quite like the Penguins' fourth line or many others. For one, they play a lot. Trotz will even deploy them at the start of games and periods against an opponent's top line to set a physical tone. Mathew Barzal, New York's leading scorer and most-heralded forward, averages 17:55 in ice time per game. But that's not far off from Cizikas, who plays 14:07. Or, for that matter, it's not that far off from second-line center Brock Nelson at 17:58 or third-line pivot Valtteri Filppula at 14:16. Compare that to Pittsburgh where Crosby averages 21:00, but Cullen checks in at just 11:31.
And New York's fourth-line is productive, too. Cizikas enjoyed a career-year, scoring 20 goals, 11 more than his previous best. That's to say nothing of his plus-22 rating and 49.1 faceoff win percentage. Clutterbuck and Martin each chipped in eight goals this season. Though the Islanders had a modest 46.27 Corsi For percentage when that trio is on the ice, they cashed in on their chances. They had a high-danger chances for percentage of 58.86.
"They have some good speed to them and they make more plays than people realize," Jack Johnson was telling me. "They're good with the puck. They get in there and create turnovers. They've had success offensively, as well. They're a good line.
"I'm sure they'll be looking forward to the playoffs because it will be more of their style of hockey."
Compare the above mentioned numbers to the Penguins' fourth line. They received seven goals from Cullen in 71 games and two from right winger Garrett Wilson in 50 games. Teddy Blueger has been skating there most recently on the left wing, but he could give way to Zach Aston-Reese if he is cleared to play. Aston-Reese, who will be a game-time decision, had eight goals in just 17 games though only two of those goals came with him in a bottom-six role.
"They have a good fourth-line and so do we," Wilson said. "We're just going to go out there and do what we can to help the team."
But what the Islanders' fourth-line does best is to create havoc and momentum for their team. Both Clutterbuck and Martin have an uncanny ability to get under their opponents' skin. Ask Kris Letang. In the third period of the Dec. 10 game in Uniondale, Letang and Clutterbuck took matching minors with the Penguins defenseman delivering a vicious cross-check that ended Clutterbuck's night.
The Penguins -- and certainly their fans -- remember Martin. He is one of five Islanders that remain from their 2013 team which lost to the Penguins in the first round. He was also one of the central figures in the infamous Feb. 11, 2011, brawl that resulted in 346 penalty minutes, still the fifth-most in a game in the last 32 years:
Well, Martin is back on Long Island after playing the past two seasons in Toronto. He signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Maple Leafs in 2016 but quickly flamed out. He was traded back to the Islanders last summer for Eamon McAdam, a low-level, minor-league goalie. Along with Barzal, few players are appreciated more on Long Island than Martin, "The Mayor of Long Island." This season, he was second in the NHL with an average of 4.1 hits per game. That's 1.3 more than Johnson, who led the Penguins this season.
Though the Islanders will be out-classed by the Penguins' wealth of offensive talent, they do have a discernible advantage with their fourth-line. With Games 1 and 2 at the Coliseum, look for Martin, Cizikas and Clutterbuck to feed off the home crowd and to stir the pot at every chance.
"It's one of the few buildings left in the league that has the unique and home flavor to us," Clutterbuck said of the Coliseum. "I know it's not a great place for opposing teams to come in and play. It's an advantage for us for sure."
As grating and effective as the CCM Line can be, they can't afford to let their emotions get the best of them though. Not against the Penguins and not against their power play. The Islanders were the 10th-least penalized team this season at 7:51 per game. As good as they've been defensively, allowing the fewest goals in the NHL this season, they have just the 17th-ranked penalty kill at 79.9 percent.
How much or how little the Penguins utilize their own fourth-line will be worth monitoring. While Sullivan made tweaks to the second- and third-lines this week, the fourth has remained intact. Wilson, whose only playoff experience came against the Islanders three years ago, is eager to see how his team matches up.
"It's playoff hockey, everything gets ramped up," he says. "It's a lot more physical and that's a style I like to play. Looking forward to the puck getting dropped out there in New York."
