The Islanders can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Not one, not two but all three of Mat Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech joined the team for Thursday morning’s skate ahead of a match against the Blackhawks, with Duclair and Pelech shedding the orange non-contact jerseys they had been wearing. 

That is the best sign so far that the Islanders are getting close to being (almost) completely healthy for the first time since Game 5 of the season, when Duclair suffered an apparent groin injury against Montreal. 

“It’s funny. Sometimes when those injuries happen, you feel like they’ll never come back,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Now seeing them close to coming back, it’s a good feeling for everybody.” 

Roy did not commit to a return date for any of the three but described them all as day-to-day. 

Pelech suffered what is believed to be a jaw injury when Jordan Greenway’s shot caught him in the face Nov. 1 and skated Thursday with a full bubble helmet. He and Duclair had participated in skates prior to Thursday while wearing non-contact jerseys. 

Barzal suffered an upper-body injury during a loss to the Blue Jackets the night prior, the nature of which was unclear. 

No. 13, who accounted for just five points in 10 games before getting hurt, cast a vivacious presence on the ice, joyous at being back for the first time. 

“I think you could hear Barzy out there all practice,” Ryan Pulock said. “He’s excited. That brings a level of energy to this group, and I think we’re all excited to have those guys back when the time comes. Obviously, all really good players, so whenever you can add that skill to your lineup, obviously it’s a positive. Exciting day today.” 

As for the other injured players, Mike Reilly is out long term following heart surgery after an issue was detected during routine testing following a concussion.

Semyon Varlamov has yet to start skating with a lower-body injury. 

Despite having won just 11 of their first 30 games entering the first of two straight games against the Blackhawks at home Thursday, the Islanders started the morning just one point below the playoff cutline with a chance to end the night on the right side of it. 

All of their lofty preseason goals still are very much attainable if they can begin stacking points once the injured trio is back healthy. 

“Right now, I feel like the East is jammed up,” Brock Nelson said. “A lot is up for grabs. If you can get on a roll, you can obviously turn the tides a bit and turn the story. We get guys back and healthy, continue to build on our game and get feeling good, we’re gonna be a dangerous team.” 

Much of the optimism during training camp was based on a top line that carried much more firepower with the addition of Duclair, but the envisioned trio of Duclair, Barzal and Bo Horvat barely played before the injury bug hit. 

Exactly what the Islanders are will only become clear over the coming weeks, when it will be up to them to prove they are more than has-been contenders mired in mediocrity. 

With Nelson and Kyle Palmieri’s names already subject to trade rumors, the timer is running on the Islanders. They have hovered around NHL-.500 without some of their best players. Continuing to do so once they return will not be enough. 

“We’re in a position right in the middle of it,” Pulock said. “Getting those guys back, we’re expected to keep climbing here and keep getting better.”