Cal Clutterbuck makes Jack Capuano look like a genius

In a game as wacky as Islanders-Rangers on Sunday, you might as well go with your gut. Jack Capuano did, and his decision to leave his fourth line on the ice for an offensive-zone draw in a tie game with 90 seconds remaining ended up being the right one.

“Sometimes you have a hunch as a coach,” Capuano said after Cal Clutterbuck snapped home the winner with 1:28 left. “They’ve scored some big goals for us in the past.”

Even Clutterbuck was a little surprised that his line stayed out for not one but two draws in the Rangers’ zone in a span of 10 seconds as the clock ticked down.

Casey Cizikas had been beaten on a draw just a few seconds earlier after a Rangers icing, but the Rangers’ clearing attempt went into their bench.

Cizikas, Clutterbuck and Matt Martin would have been forgiven if they had looked over their shoulders to see if John Tavares and his linemates were headed down to replace them at that moment. But Capuano stuck with his pluggers, Cizikas cleanly beat Derek Stepan and Clutterbuck, coming off the wall on his off wing, ripped one over Antti Raanta’s shoulder for the go-ahead goal in the Islanders’ 6-4 win at the Garden.

“A great play call by Zeeker. Have to give him credit there,” Clutterbuck said, noting that Cizikas swapped him and Martin to give Clutterbuck the chance at a quick shot off the draw. “He won it right on my tape and it got through. It’s certainly nice to get one.”

The Islanders’ most consistent line — in terms of games they’ve spent together as a trio during the past two seasons and their play on many nights — has been dubbed “the best fourth line in hockey” by former coach and current Canadian television shouter Don Cherry, and opposing coaches speak often about a group that dishes out hits with regularity.

Eric Staal certainly can attest to that, having been on the receiving end of a hard Martin hit in the first that seemed to leave the new Ranger dazed.

But the goals also have been coming for the Islanders’ fourth line, particularly on the just-completed 6-1-0 road trip that has the team three points behind the Rangers with three games in hand.

Clutterbuck’s 12 goals lead that trio and Cizikas has 10 points in his last 11 games. The Isles scored only 11 goals in the first five games of the road trip and the fourth line had a hand in five of them, which says perhaps some not-so-good things about the other three lines and plenty about the fourth line.

“You always know what you’re going to get from them,” Frans Nielsen said. “They play hard every night. You hardly ever see them have a bad game. That’s what you need from everyone.”