Islanders nearing full strength as stars inch towards return

There will be changes to the Islanders’ lineup on Sunday, resembling what was envisioned during training camp.

Adam Pelech, out for six weeks with a jaw injury, will make his return against the Blackhawks, as confirmed by coach Patrick Roy after Saturday’s practice.

Mat Barzal, also sidelined for six weeks with an upper-body injury, is likely to play in Chicago as well, pending a game-time decision.

While Anthony Duclair won’t be back on Sunday due to a suspected groin injury, there is a chance he may return on Tuesday against Carolina.

“All those guys, you think about those guys and what they mean — I think they make us a better team,” said Brock Nelson. “To see them all back skating, traveling with us now, it’s encouraging, for sure. It makes everyone in here better as a team. It’s huge to get those players back.”

Barzal was cleared to come off LTIR on Saturday after Pierre Engvall and Oliver Wahlstrom passed through waivers, with Wahlstrom claimed by the Bruins.

Additional roster moves will be required to activate Duclair when the time comes.

While there was positive news, Saturday wasn’t without its challenges for the Isles.

Bo Horvat, who didn’t play the last 9:49 in Thursday’s game against the Blackhawks, missed practice on Saturday due to a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. He will travel with the team, but his availability for the next game against Chicago is uncertain.

It’s possible that the Islanders, who have been missing key players for most of the season, will have a different lineup on Sunday.

Semyon Varlamov, dealing with a lower-body injury, will not travel with the team, meaning Marcus Hogberg will continue to serve as backup to Ilya Sorokin.

While not fully healthy, things are moving in the right direction for the Islanders.

“The guys have been doing a super nice job while these guys were gone,” Roy said. “Having them come back slowly — Pelly back, Barzy potentially back, and Anthony could be back soon. I think it’s nice for our guys. They played so hard. Having the opportunity to have these guys coming back will give a little boost that we need to reach the next level.”

In Saturday’s practice, Barzal centered a line with Duclair and Anders Lee, Nelson centered Tsyplakov and Palmieri, Pageau centered MacLean and Holmstrom, and Cizikas played with Martin and Fasching.

On defense, Pelech paired with Pulock, Romanov with Dobson, Cholowski with Mayfield, and George with Hutton.

With Horvat’s status uncertain, it’s unclear how the lineup will shape up on Sunday.

There’s also uncertainty regarding Cholowski or Isaiah George playing alongside Mayfield, with the current plan being for them to rotate instead of sending George back to the AHL.

“If he’s not playing for a while, I’m pretty sure Lou [Lamoriello] is gonna want to do something about it,” Roy said. “We’ll see how it goes. Every time you’re winning a game, it’s hard to make changes, so we’ll go from there before making final decisions.”