Isles' Anthony Duclair returns to lineup Saturday night in Toronto after missing 28 games

TORONTO — Anthony Duclair, take two.

The Islanders’ most prominent offseason signing was finally activated off long-term injured reserve and returned to the lineup on Saturday night against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena after missing 28 games with a lower-body injury believed to be a groin issue suffered on Oct. 19. That was just five games – and two goals and one assist – into his four-year, $14 million deal.

The Islanders, coming off their fifth shutout of the season, Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes as they started this three-game road trip 0-2-0, need Duclair among the top-six forwards for his finishing skills.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re winning or losing,” Duclair said. “It’s just frustrating being out. There were some games where it was tough because it felt like we could have won a lot of those games. Circumstances are what they are. I just want to put the past behind and focus on the present.”

Duclair made his return skating on Brock Nelson’s left wing with Kyle Palmieri after starting the season on a top line centered by Bo Horvat along with Mathew Barzal. Coach Patrick Roy had Barzal centering Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau to start against the Maple Leafs and has returned Barzal to his natural position in his three games back in the lineup since returning from an upper-body injury suffered on Oct. 30.

Roy had no immediate plans on reuniting Horvat, Barzal and Duclair.

“Not as of now,” Roy said before Saturday’s match. “But ask me the same question after the second period.”

“I think Duke is one of those guys that you can insert him wherever, whenever and he’s one of those guys that plays the game the right way,” Barzal said. “It’s easy to have chemistry with him right away. He’s smart, he’s going to be fine and we’re pumped to have him back.”

The Islanders scored nine goals in their previous four games and entered Saturday 29th in the 32-team NHL with 86 goals. Duclair, 29, playing for his ninth NHL team, has been a 20-goal scorer four times with a high of 31 for the Panthers in 2021-22.

“Even with Barzy coming back, both of those have an impact on the game,” Nelson said. “Getting both of those guys back will give us a different look to hopefully give us something to generate more offense. You get the right combination with all the guys healthy and back, I think we’ve got a pretty solid group up front that can get the job done.”

One of Duclair’s issues throughout his checkered career has been staying healthy. He played a career high 81 games for the Coyotes in 2015-16 but has not played more than 74 games in a season since then.

“It’s just staying positive mentally,” Duclair said. “Physically, you’re going to do your thing, you’re going to rehab every day. I went through it with my Achilles (in 2022-23) when I was out for seven months. That wasn’t fun. I knew it wasn’t going to be that long this time.”

Still, Duclair said he immediately knew it could be serious when he had to be helped off the ice without putting weight on his right leg early in the third period of a 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens at UBS Arena on Oct. 19. Within five days, the Islanders announced Duclair was expected to miss four to six weeks.

“Once I fell there, I knew something was wrong, something I’d never felt before,” Duclair said. “Right when I got into the locker room, especially I couldn’t skate off on my own, I knew something was going on. I didn’t know the timeline but when I got the news, it was devastating. I’d only played five games and the season just started and it felt like I was starting to play well.”

Notes & quotes: Pierre Engvall’s rocky season took another downturn as he was again a healthy scratch after being in the lineup the previous five games. Fellow former Maple Leaf, Matt Martin, was the other extra forward not dressing with defenseman Dennis Cholowski also a healthy scratch after playing the previous six games…Goalie Ilya Sorokin matched his career high in the NHL with his 10th straight start.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.