The Islanders have been increasingly banged up as the season has progressed, but they received some encouraging injury news Wednesday on one of their top players.
Mathew Barzal was back on the ice with the team at its Long Island practice facility for the first time this season. He missed all of training camp and the team’s first 14 games so far with inflammation in his left knee.
The 29-year-old Barzal initially injured the knee during the 2024-25 campaign, but he appeared in 81 of 82 games last season and led the Isles with 72 points, including 19 goals.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock (upper body) and forward Matias Maccelli (lower body) also skated in non-contact jerseys, but all three players left the ice when the contact portion of the session began.
The Isles (7-5-2) face East-leading Carolina on Thursday night at UBS Arena.
