There is plenty of blame to go around for the Islanders’ struggles this season, but the star players’ struggles is a big reason for their poor play.

Stefen Rosner sat down with New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair to discuss his recovery and return to the lineup after a 29-game absence.

Eight weeks later, the biggest piece still missing from the Islanders’ puzzle finally clicked back into place.

The New York Islanders expect to have Anthony Duclair back in the lineup on Saturday night when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. The forward was activated from injured reserve on Friday after being out with a lower-body injury since Oct.

Seth Jones practiced for the first time since injuring his right foot Nov. 14, and the defenseman could play for the Blackhawks against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; SN1, CHSN).

The Islanders will receive a big boost for Saturday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, as winger Anthony Duclair has officially been activated from long-term IR.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to wait a little longer before welcoming back Auston Matthews to a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. The New York Islanders can't afford to wait much longer to begin winning and stave off a potential breakup of the core that reached consecutive NHL semifinals in 2020-21.

Casey Cizikas (2G), Anders Lee (2G), JG Pageau, Anthony Duclair scored for the Islanders in a game that tied a season-high six goals, while Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves in his career-long 12 th consecutive start. Michael Bunting, Noel Acciari, Rickard Rakell scored for the Penguins while Tristan Jarry made 28 saves in the loss.

The New York Islanders (14-15-7) dug deep and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-16-5) 6-3 on Saturday Night in UBS Arena. Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee scored two goals each, leading New York past the recently hot Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has seen enough of the New York Islanders to know what they’re about. And he knows, even if they’ve largely struggled this season, the Islanders still present a stiff challenge to the Penguins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (17-16-5) exacted revenge and downed the New York Islanders (14-16-7) 3-2 Sunday evening in PPG Paints Arena. Once again, the Islanders’ special teams absolutely let them down.