Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin could bring 'old-time hockey' into play vs. Sabres
The Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck, left, and Matt Martin. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
BUFFALO — Old-time hockey.
It’s not just a shoutout to the great “Slap Shot.” It’s a possible advantage for the Islanders in their playoff chase in the guise of fourth-liners Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck.
Not that the veteran fourth-liners are putting on the foil and dropping the gloves every shift. But their physicality and mentality harken back to the tougher days of the NHL.
When they’re at their best, the Islanders have a better chance of wearing down opponents as the game — or a playoff series — nears the end.
It’s an edge not all teams have as younger players now concentrate on individual skills more in their formative years.
“In order to play that way, you have to come up playing a certain way,” Clutterbuck said after Wednesday’s lengthy practice at Keybank Center where the Islanders' four-game road trip concludes on Thursday night against the Sabres. “I think there’s been a shift in focus for young kids. Young kids are very focused on individual skill development. That’s just the way things have trended.
“There’s a need for this job. You can see a lot of these teams that do have high-end skill makers making moves for guys who play that role. It’s just a shift in the way kids play the game growing up and you don’t start contact until you’re like 15 or 16, which I think is ridiculous.”
Clutterbuck and Martin — now with rookie Kyle MacLean centering the fourth line instead of Casey Cizikas — are first and second, respectively, on the NHL all-time hits list, a statistic that started being kept in 2005-06.
Martin returned to practice after missing Monday night’s 3-0 loss to the Kings with a lingering lower-body issue. Coach Patrick Roy still listed Martin as day to day.
“It’s getting there,” Martin said. “It’s something I’ve been dealing with for a little bit. I’m just trying to manage it as much as possible.”
Both Clutterbuck, 36, and Martin, who turns 35 in May, are pending unrestricted free agents. So there’s no guarantee the physical edge they give the Islanders will be back next season.
But neither have treated this playoff push as a personal last go-round.
“Not really, no,” Martin said. “Just playing. Just take it day by day. I’ll think about everything else in the future.”
There’s also an intangible value to their presence. Clutterbuck called Martin a “stabilizing force.”
“He’s very level-headed, even-keel guy,” Clutterbuck said. “He just carries himself with a presence. You feel him when he walks into the room. He’s got the capability of defending the guys in the room. That’s a great starting point for anybody on the team. Those guys probably get more respect than anybody. And he’s a really good hockey player.”
Old time hockey.
Notes & quotes: Roy said goalie Ilya Sorokin would start against the Sabres . . . Roy had no update on defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (ankle), out since Jan. 4. President/general manager Lou Lamoriello said before the road trip Bortuzzo was close to rejoining the team.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
