Islanders might have finally found elusive fourth-line ‘buzz’

DALLAS — Sunday night marked the ninth combination the Islanders have tried as a fourth line in just 18 games so far this season.

It also might have, finally, given them something to work with at the bottom of their lineup.

The 4-1 loss to the Avalanche, with two late Colorado goals that made the final score a bit deceptive, was the first time all year that the fourth line had a case as the best for the Islanders in a game.

Not so coincidentally, it was also Max Shabanov’s first game back from injury, which formed a new trio of the Russian winger with Cal Ritchie and Casey Cizikas.

Though Shabanov’s 5-foot-9 frame makes his presence on the fourth line counterintuitive, the group played up ice all night.

They forechecked effectively.

They were the only line that consistently controlled territory in a tight-checking road game against one of the league’s best teams.

“I thought they had good buzz,” coach Patrick Roy said. “When they were out there, I thought they possessed the puck. I thought they had a great game, the three of them.”

It wasn’t perfect, and Cizikas’ benching in the third period is a major tell that Roy still sees room for improvement.

Roy has not shortened his bench often this year, and Cizikas was the only player taken out of the rotation Sunday night, playing just one shift in the third before the Avs sealed it with an empty-netter. 

Cizikas has struggled this year, but it’s not clear if the Islanders are willing to make him a healthy scratch right now — the unmitigated mess that stemmed from scratching Josh Bailey right before his 1,000th game a few years ago, only to watch Nikita Soshnikov struggle in his place was an unforced error on the part of Lane Lambert, and everyone should be wary of a repeat — but a fourth line of Max Tsyplakov, Ritchie and Shabanov is a compelling idea.

Shabanov’s ability to hang in what was a physical game, not just given his size but given that he was coming off an injury that kept him out nearly a month, was another positive indicator.

The six games he played before he got hurt were up and down, and when he struggled, it was often because his skill was overcome by physical play.

“I thought he played well,” Roy said. “It’s the type of injury he had, upper-body injury, it’s always you’re curious to see how someone’s gonna react on contact, because you don’t really get hit in the practices. I thought he didn’t shy away from any of that. I thought he played really well.”

One way or another, the Islanders look like they are getting closer to finding something that works here.

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Cizikas has been on the fourth line in all but one game this season — when the Isles went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen after healthy-scratching Mat Barzal in Carolina, they essentially played without a fourth line — so you can use his numbers as a proxy for how the line has performed.

Not only was the game in Colorado his fifth best of the season by five-on-five expected goals rate, per Evolving Hockey, but the two games prior in Utah and Vegas ranked No. 4 and No. 1 on that list.

Given how crucial the Identity Line of Matt Martin, Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck was in the franchise’s last extended run of success, the Islanders know better than most just how important a good fourth line can be.

Their reputation, though, has belied the fact that it’s been a while — at least three years, if not longer — since they’ve had a truly effective fourth line on a nightly basis, and it hit a nadir last season.

If things are starting to turn back the other way, it would do the Islanders a world of good.