Islanders starting to get some injured players back on ice

The 4 Nations break proved fruitful for an Islanders squad that was as banged-up as it gets going into the layoff.

Scott Mayfield, who suffered a suspected right leg injury a little over two weeks ago, was a full-contact participant in Tuesday’s practice and said he expects to play when the season resumes Sunday against the Stars.

Ryan Pulock also participated in an orange non-contact jersey while Hudson Fasching — who joined the team in Winnipeg and Minnesota before the break but didn’t get a chance to take part in a full skate — was a full participant.

“Whenever you miss time, when you start feeling better and able to join the team again, it’s a good feeling,” Mayfield told The Post. “The timing of it, with the time off and everything, helped. I feel good.”

The injury situation on Long Island still is far from perfect. Noah Dobson, Mat Barzal, Semyon Varlamov, Marcus Högbeg and Mike Reilly were not seen Tuesday as that group recovers from its respective injuries. Coach Patrick Roy did not offer any updates.

Defenseman Scott Mayfield, who suffered a suspected right leg injury a little over two weeks ago, was a full-contact participant in the Islanders’ practice on Feb. 18, 2025. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Regarding Mayfield and Pulock, Roy declined to say much of substance.

“It was nice to see them on the ice today,” the coach said. “I thought they looked good, but we’ll see how the week progresses. I’m sure we’ll make some decisions at the time.”

Mayfield, asked if he would be ready to play, answered with a direct, “Yes.”

Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock, skating with the puck during a game earlier this season, participated in practice in an orange non-contact jersey on Feb. 18, 2025. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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Even if No. 24 is the only returnee against Dallas, it would be of immeasurable help to the Islanders. The club played its last four games before the break without four of its opening-night defensemen and, essentially, with five functioning D-men in the lineup given that Roy wasn’t willing to give Dennis Cholowski more than 10 minutes of ice.

In the final game before the break, a 6-3 loss to Minnesota, Cholowski got just 2:52 of ice time, underscoring how important it would be for at least one of the injured group to return.

Roy said more than once that he did not want to treat the time between now and the resumption of the season as a second training camp, citing it as the reason for Tuesday being a light, skills-focused practice.

“I think if we go straight to bing-bang-badang, it’ll feel like a training camp,” he said. “I wanted guys to feel comfortable, touch the ice.”