Islanders benefit when Casey Cizikas stays out of penalty box
Islanders center Casey Cizikas controls the puck with Flyers center Zack McEwen, right, in pursuit during the first period of an NHL game Saturday at UBS Arena. Credit: AP/John Munson
The Islanders and Flyers totaled 46 penalty minutes in the third period of their last game and Casey Cizikas stayed out of the box, something the physical fourth-line center has had trouble doing of late.
On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, the teams could play a second straight chippy game in the rematch of the Islanders’ 5-2 win on Saturday night at UBS Arena. It would benefit them if Cizikas, one of the Islanders’ prime penalty-killers, remains out of the box.
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The Islanders and Flyers totaled 46 penalty minutes in the third period of their last game and Casey Cizikas stayed out of the box, something the physical fourth-line center has had trouble doing of late.
On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, the teams could play a second straight chippy game in the rematch of the Islanders’ 5-2 win on Saturday night at UBS Arena. It would benefit them if Cizikas, one of the Islanders’ prime penalty-killers, remains out of the box.
“It happens quick,” Cizikas said after Monday’s practice at Northwell Health Center in East Meadow. “You’re not out there trying to take penalties. It’s making sure you’re in the right position. The refs try to do as good of a job as they can out there. It’s a quick game and they’re not always going to be perfect.
“At the same time, you’ve got to have some ownership of what you do out there and put yourself in good spots where you don’t necessarily have to take anything that will cause any doubt in the ref’s mind.”
The Islanders (15-8-0) have won four straight and 13 of 17 as they conclude their lone home-and-home series of the season. The Flyers have lost 10 straight (0-7-3) for the third time in the last two seasons (they lost 13 in a row from Dec. 30, 2021, to Feb. 2, 2022).
Cizikas has 29 penalty minutes in 23 games, including eight in the four games before Saturday’s win. He set a career high with 48 penalty minutes in 74 games last season and had 41 penalty minutes in 48 games in 2019-20. Before that, he had never accumulated more than 36 penalty minutes in a season.
“I think those things kind of ebb and flow,” coach Lane Lambert said. “Part of it is he plays a certain way. So there is times when maybe he’s a little bit more prone to taking a penalty because of the way he plays.
“He’s one of our top penalty- killers and it’s not an ideal situation for us when he’s in the penalty box. It just moves everybody up a little bit. Brock Nelson ends up playing more because he’s a centerman. It just changes the dynamics of the pairings.
“It’s been fine. It’s just that we would like No. 53 on the penalty kill.”
The Islanders’ penalty kill, which started the season 28-for-28, is ranked fourth in the NHL at 82.7% (62 of 75).
Notes & quotes: Ilya Sorokin, expected to start on Tuesday, was named the NHL’s third star of the week after going 3-0-0 with a 1.32 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage. That included a career-high 49 saves in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the visiting Oilers. “He’s unbelievable,” forward Oliver Wahlstrom said. “He’s like create-a-goalie mode in a video game.” Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (six goals, two assists) was named the first star and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (three goals, four assists) was the second star . . . Kyle Palmieri (upper body/day-to-day) did not practice or travel with the team to Philadelphia. He will miss his fourth straight game.