Johnston Back in the Lineup, His Special Relationship with Martin

For just the second time this season, Ross Johnston will get into the New York Islanders starting lineup. His first appearance of the came on the third line against the Panthers in Florida back on Oct. 23, a 3-2 loss, as Anthony Beauvillier took a seat.

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On Tuesday night, Ross Johnston slots in alongside Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck on a fourth line that is playing the best brand of hockey we have seen from them in a few years.

Matt Martin is not injured, as he is back in New York with his wife Sydney, as they are expecting the birth of their second child.

“I’m just going to try to fit in on the fourth line, get in the forecheck and be a physical presence.” Ross Johnston told NYI Hockey Now. “That line’s been great all year, and hoping to fit in seamlessly and just helped the team kind of contain momentum here.”

The fourth line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck have played eight games together this season (Clutterbuck missed opening night) and, in just over 60 minutes of action, have not surrendered a goal. They have scored three on their own.

Clutterbuck when asked how seamless it is when Johnston joins in on the fourth line, he had this to say:

“He’s a similar style player. And I think the thing that Ross doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to make the plays that Marty can make a lot of the time. And not necessarily big, flashy offensive plays, but in order for us to get in on the forecheck, you gotta be able to bring the puck out of your zone, you gotta be able to make a wall play and get out and make the other team feel like they’re under duress and he’s got the ability to do that. So it’s nice when he comes in.”

Sometimes being in and out of the lineup is not a role many players can flourish in. But for head coach Lane Lambert, he believes Johnston does a great job.

“I think he does a great job of handling that role. You know, he understands what his role is, period, and part of that is he works hard and he keeps himself ready for when he comes in,” Lambert said. “That’s the key.”

JOHNSTON’s RELATIONSHIP WITH MATT MARTIN

When I took over at NYI Hockey Now, all interaction was over Zoom. The practices were closed, and for someone relatively new to the “beat reporter” position, it was a much different world than I expected. But it was the only world I knew, graduating and working during the pandemic.

Once the Islanders opened up the room, for the first time in my professional career, I was able to see players away from the spotlight. We saw the laughter at practices, the inside jokes, and, more importantly, the work ethic of these athletes to improve upon their skill sets, whether that player was a star or someone trying to crack the lineup on a more consistent basis.

I also got to witness relationships that certain players had with one another. And one that caught my eye early on was the relationship that Matt Martin had with Ross Johnston.

Matt Martin, a 14-year NHL veteran, and Ross Johnston, a seven-year vet, both play a similar role for the New York Islanders.

Both have no issue throwing their weight around, and when their skates hit the ice, their forechecking prowess and ability to grind away at opponents make them valuable assets.

Matt Martin underwent offseason ankle surgery in the summer of 2021 and was not one hundred percent to start the 2021-22 campaign as Johnston played in his place. And even when Martin did return after the first two games, there were times when New York Islanders former coach Barry Trotz elected to go with Johnston and scratch Martin.

On Oct. 26 of 2021, Ross Johnston agreed to a four-year extension worth $4.4 million ($1.1 M AAV). It had fans scratching their heads as Johnston was just seen as a depth player for the Islanders and not someone who had the skill to be a staple in the lineup.

On the surface, one could look at the fact that Johnston is a younger, stronger, faster Martin and that Johnston’s growth was a threat to Martin’s playing time, and the contract was an insurance policy that if anything happened to Martin, Johnston could slot in and play the same type of game.

But despite what the surface showed, below the surface, you could see how close of a friendship Martin and Johnston have.

Martin, who is six years older than Johnston, gave off a big-brother vibe. A brother that wanted nothing but success for his younger pal as he played the mentor role.

More often than not during the 2021-22 season, when the ice surface cleared after a team practice or a morning skate, Matt Martin remained on the ice with Ross Johnston, working on drills and giving advice. It did not matter that the two played the same role. There was a common, shared goal which was to help the New York Islanders in any way they could.

Last season, Ross Johnston played in 32 games for the second time in his career. As mentioned, he filled in for Martin, but also, when Cal Clutterbuck went down for the season, Johnston took his spot on the fourth line alongside Martin and Cizikas.

Despite not collecting many points, Johnston’s seven points (two goals and five assists) were a new career-high.

Johnston all alone… GOAL. pic.twitter.com/mu9lnvEKXP

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 31, 2022

He averaged a career-high 10:16 TOI and set a career-high in blocks with 16 as he learned how to be a much more responsible player in his own zone.

“I think he’s grown a lot, especially when Cal (Clutterbuck) went down we were playing a lot of games together,”Matt Martin said.  “We do have a good relationship off the ice, and we haven’t played many games together in our careers because we do play kind of similar games, so it was fun to play with him and watch him kind of grow as a player. ”

“I think he works extremely hard on his game as well and is always looking to get better. He grew a lot, and he’ll continue to grow this off-season. He’s a valuable piece of this team. Being able to slot in and play, and when he does play he always plays well, as well.”

For Ross Johnston, having Matt Martin to learn from is special.

“He’s done it for a long time. He’s a guy that I’m fortunate enough that when I’m out of the lineup, I can watch and pick up little habits that I can implement in my own game,” Johnston said. “Our relationship off the ice is pretty special, and that obviously helps me when I do get on the ice.”

As mentioned, Clutterbuck’s injury allowed Johnston to skate more with his mentor and Cizikas, a line that played over 125 minutes together in 2021-22.

“And in games with him and Casey (Cizikas), you’re able to talk through certain situations that maybe you see one way, and they see the other way and just little plays that you might not pick up on playing with someone else that I guess they see…I don’t know how to put it into words, but it can help me take my game to the next level. Just simplify things and make things easier throughout the game.”

All the players on the New York Islanders talk about how tight-knit a group this is. And when you see relationships like this, between two players who are in competition for playing time, that just shows where the priorities lie.