As of late, the Islanders’ fourth line has been struggling and that needs to change for the playoffs. The Islanders will face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Playoffs starting on Sunday. If the Islanders want to succeed in the playoffs, they are going to need all hands on deck, with all lines contributing. The Islanders have what some may call the best fourth line in hockey, but the Penguins aren’t far off either. Will the fourth lines be the difference-makers in this series?

The Islanders’ fourth line consists of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck. Nicknamed the “Identity Line”, the three have been a massive part of the Islanders’ recent success over the past three seasons, and in years prior to Matt Martin’s stint in Toronto. Combined, the three missed 20 games this season, with Clutterbuck leading the way, missing ten. They scored a combined 17 goals and 36 points, with a split of 7-7-14 for Cizikas, 6-5-11 for Martin, and 4-7-11 for Clutterbuck. They had cooled off towards the end of the season, but the Islanders will look to them to help bring energy to the team as they head into the playoffs.

The Penguins’ fourth line consists of Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger, and Brandon Tanev. Pittsburgh’s fourth line had a much tougher time staying healthy this season, as they missed a combined 60 games this year, with Tanev missing the most of the group after missing 28 games this season. Despite them missing more time, they put up better offensive numbers, with a combined 23 goals and 53 points, with a split of 7-15-22 for Blueger, 7-9-16 for Tanev, and 9-6-15 for Aston-Reese. The line is spearheaded by Aston-Reese, who is one of the league’s best defensive forwards who is crucial to the Penguins’ defensive success, and the Penguins had a tougher time defending during the 15 games he missed.

The Islanders’ fourth line is extremely important to this team, when they are clicking the whole teaming is clicking. In the summer, when the Islanders made their push to the Eastern Conference Finals, the fourth line was a huge part, scoring seven goals and 12 points. The thing that separates the Islanders fourth line from other teams is their physicality. They have a combined total of 484 hits this season, while the Penguin’s fourth line only has 287 combined total hits, albeit missing more time. The fourth line not only scores timely goals but can make huge hits and fights that can change the momentum of games.

The Islanders and Penguins have two of the stronger fourth lines in hockey, and they will both be heavily relied on during their first-round matchup.

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Jacob

Writer for Drive4Five covering the New York Islanders.