Islanders Can See Light At End Of Tunnel With Injured Players Nearing Their Return

The Islanders welcomed Mathew Barzal back to a team skate for the first time since Oct. 30, with Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech taking steps toward their return.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders are getting closer and closer to getting their top players back.

Mathew Barzal, who hadn't skated with the team since suffering a lower-body injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets, was back on the ice in a normal practice jersey.

Forward Anthony Duclair, who returned to practice on Tuesday morning, and defenseman Adam Pelech, who returned on Dec. 5, have both ditched their non-contact sweaters. 

"It's exciting for everybody," Islanders coach Patrick Roy said about having his injured players back on the ice. "[Seeing them on the ice] just tells you that they're getting closer and closer to getting back in the lineup. Sometimes, when those injuries happen, you feel like they'll never come back. Now, seeing them close to coming back, it's a good feeling for everybody."

The Islanders enter Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks, one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild-card spot and two points behind the top wild-card team, the New York Rangers. 

They've gone 8-7-5 since Barzal went down. 

"We've done some good things, obviously, and kept ourselves kind of in it," Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. "Other teams go through injuries too, and it's a matter of how you respond and how people step up, and we've been doing a good job of that so far. But to get some regulars back in here soon is going to be huge for us."

We don't know exactly what the lineups will be when they're ready to return or what the roster will look like:

The whole team has been affected by the injuries, but Horvat has been affected the most, losing both of his linemates. He has just four goals since Barzal went down, two coming in the last three games. 

I asked Horvat if it felt like the family was coming back together. 

"Yeah," Horvat said with a laugh. "You're all excited before the season starts. You have a good preseason, and all of a sudden, that kind of stuff happens. It's never easy, but again, other guys have stepped and filled that void to keep us in it so far. 

"It's up to us now, when these guys come back, to take our game to the next level because we're going to need here down the stretch."