Sunrise, Fla. — After building on the NHL record he set last year and reaching a milestone 4,000 hits, Cal Clutterbuck sat in his locker in the bowels of Amerant Bank Arena, his lips swollen and his neck aching. I could see blood on the side.
“I wish I had been on the ice for the last four minutes and heard the victory song at the end,” he said following the 3-2 win over the Panthers. “But it’s a big deal for us.”
A big one that Clutterbuck played a big symbolic role in acquiring.
Reinhart during the Islanders’ 3-2 win over the Panthers. Getty Images
After more than 10 minutes and 59 seconds on the ice, all of Clutterbuck’s contributions on the stat sheet were defensive in nature.
He had three hits, the third being his 4,000th hit.
He blocked three shots.
He introduced a key penalty-kill shift when the Islanders held the lead in the third period.
He made a double-minor high-sticking call on Sam Reinhart with 5:31 left, decisively taking pressure off the Islanders’ defense and knocking him out with the rest of the game.
By the way, he is perfectly fine.
“He plays a big role in penalties. That penalty that the players took in the third was huge for us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “And it’s always fun to see someone get rewarded.
“He’s been here a long time. He’s been playing well for a long time.”
The season, which saw him reach his 1,000th game early on and was his last contract, at least for the time being, took on an at times introspective tone for Clutterbuck.
However, this was no time for reflection as the Islanders earned a crucial two points towards a possible playoff run.
“That’s a big number,” Clutterbuck said of the hit milestone. “So, I don’t know how many fish I caught, but I was aiming for one more and was able to time it. That’s what happens.”
That’s when everything there was to see was on the surface level, and things were as serious as they had been that night, bloody and bruised and happy.
Roy said he did not expect Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s goal to be canceled due to goaltender interference after the Panthers made their second attempt of the game and the first attempt was successful. .
“Obviously, when they go upstairs, it can go both ways,” he said. “I knew that would be the goal.”
Matt Barzal’s second-period goal was his 23rd of the season, setting a new career high.
Simon Holmstrom was injured for the second time in three games, and Matt Martin returned to the lineup.
