Flyers Keys for Game Seven: “Clutterbuck” A Four Letter Word

The Islanders Fourth Line Has Been  A General Menace For The Flyers And Has Created Chances For Other Lines

The reoccurring theme in this series has been that the Islanders are never quite dead.  Like some villain in a cheesy horror movie they find a way to come back after being burned, decapitated, crushed or from being down two goals.

As a fan, when you watch, you can feel the trouble coming.  The announcers’ voices replace the ominous music from the horror show soundtrack.  Words and phrases like “turned over”, “rebound”, “have not had a shot in” and “great save by Hart” get your pulse quickening and the butterflies in the pit of your stomach.

The most consistent harbinger of the Flyers impending doom is the word “Clutterbuck”.  Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin have been a real problem for the Flyers.  If you look at the advanced statistics you would not know it.

Corsi for the line looks rather pedestrian, or in some casesreally bad.  The line almost always has a sub 50 percent corsi, which if you fancy the stat, would seem to indicate that the Clutterbucks are under the Flyers’ control.   Relative corsi paints an even less flattering picture as the players on the line rank near the worst on the team indicating that they are the least of the Flyers’ worries.  But hockey is more than just numbers, especially when they are the wrong numbers.

I started to notice trend in game two.  I started with a good shift from the Clutterbuck line, one that may not have generated goals but kept the Flyers players pinned in their end unable to get the puck past the red line for a prolonged period.  The Flyers looked like the keystone cops, chasing the Islanders fourth line around, trying to stop the cycling.

After twenty seconds of vain pursuit, the Flyers on ice players were exhausted. If they got the puck, they turned it over.  They were unable to control the puck long enough to complete a line change, ending up with a mishmash of a line.

As the series progresses, it finally occurred to me, the Clutterbuck line’s job was to not to score, but to exhaust the Flyers players, to disrupt line changes causing defensive coverage confusion.  Once the Flyers are in a state of disarray, the Clutterbuck line retreats to the bench making way for a fresh scoring line to exploit the weakened condition of the Flyers players who have been stuck on the ice.

Need proof?  Review the games, or even the highlights at NHL.com

• Game 2: Anders Lee, the Islanders first goal, occurs immediately after a Clutterbuck line shift
• Game 3: Komarov scores the Islander second goal immediately after a Clutterbuck line shift
• Game 3: Lee scores the Islanders third goal immediately after a Clutterbuck line shift
• Game 4: Pageau scores the Islanders second goal immediately after a Clutterbuck line shift
• Game 4: Nelson scores the Islanders third goal immediately after a Clutterbuck line shift
• Game 5: Brassard scores the Islanders third goal while moved to the Clutterbuck line
• Game 6: Martin Scores the Islanders second goal

That is seven goals, almost half of the sixteen goals the Islanders scored in these games.  Taking away power play strikes, the Clutterbuck effect is more pronounced with seven out of thirteen even strength goals.  This is a clear strategy by the Islanders, and worse still, it is effective and difficult to counter.  The Clutterbuck line’s strength lies in their strategy, determination and conditioning.

They want to exact a physical toll on the players they are facing, then trap them in their own end.  They want their opponents to take prolonged shifts under constant pressure. Then they call in the reinforcements in the form of a fresh scoring line.

It seems that the Clutterbuck line is most dangerous in the second period.  That is when the Flyers are dealing with the long change.  It is easier to change while in the offensive zone.  This means that the Islanders can sustain a forecheck or cycle and change lines nearly seemlessly.

How can the Flyers stop the indomitable horror of the Clutterbucks? The easiest counter will be up to Hart, as if he has not done enough already.  If the Clutterbuck line is on the ice, Hart should take any opportunity to freeze the puck, especially in the second period.  This will allow fresh legs to reinforce the Flyers and thwarting the chance for a prolonged shift..

A second counter will be the responsibility of the coaches.  When the Clutterbuck line comes out, order a change, if possible.  Fresh legs are the best hope for getting the puck out of the defensive zone.

Last, the players must recognize what is going on, and act accordingly.  This means no lazy line changes. It means that it might be better for the team to cut a shift by fifteen seconds rather than risk being worn down by the Islanders checkers. If things are going badly flip the puck into the Islander bench so a change can be made.

Ice time is the most precious commodity to a player, and it is hard to give up.  The players need to understand that the Clutterbuck effect is happening to the team.  The players must take actions that put the team, and the result first.

I can’t wait for game seven, and I am certain the less I hear “Clutterbuck” the happier I will be.