The fourth line has been a black hole for the Islanders all season, no matter how Patrick Roy configures it.
There was no consistent trio at the bottom of the lineup, due in part to injuries and Roy's constant lineup changes.
For a team that has derived its identity from the trio of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck for much of the past decade, the lack of a potentially game-impacting fourth line stands out. There is.
But Saturday's 6-3 victory over the Maple Leafs saw the trio of Kyle MacLean, Cizikas, and Hudson Fassing record an 8-3 margin on shot attempts while making high-energy plays like the forecheck, and the final It gave me hope in that respect. The hockey the Islanders want from their fourth line.
That came just days after Patrick Roy was pleased with the batting effort in a 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes.
“They played really well in Carolina, so we got them together tonight,” Roy said before the win in Toronto. “.. [Against the Hurricanes] I thought they had a lot of opportunities and looked good, but it was just one tough shift for them. For the rest, they played a really good game. That's the energy we want from them. ”
Although this is a small sample, there are some reasons to be optimistic that it can continue.
That means the trio has barely played together this season, with Cizikas forced to play on the third line and Fassing being in and out of the lineup for much of the season.
Before the game against Carolina, the Isles had only used that No. 4 line once all year, with Martin starting most of the past seven weeks.
Cizikas, who was a No. 4 hitter for most of his career, has struggled to break into the lineup, while Martin, 35, who initially didn't make the team after signing with PTO during camp, has seen limited ice time. He seemed to have a role to play in.
No one seemed out of place for the Islanders' game against the Leafs, who played with a fully healthy forward lineup for the first time since Oct. 19.
Perhaps the goodnight from line 4 means it's not a meaningless one-off.
After Saturday's loss in Boston, the Sabers head into Long Island on a 13-game losing streak, the third-longest in franchise history.
If they lose to the Islanders, they will tie their 14-game losing streak in the 2014-15 season for the second-longest losing streak.
Saturday's win over the Maple Leafs marked the Islanders' first penalty-free game since Nov. 1, 2015, against the Sabers, according to team statistician Eric Hornig.
