Islanders' Jonathan Drouin to return versus Lightning, giving shorthanded club a boost

A reinforcement is coming.

Jonathan Drouin  will return to the Islanders’ lineup for Saturday’s matinee against the Lightning at UBS Arena.

The winger made the announcement after an optional practice at Northwell Health Ice Center on Friday morning. And as is his wont, he spoke in clear, straightforward, matter-of-fact fashion.

“Good to go tomorrow,” said Drouin, whose reinsertion into the lineup is a welcome development for an 18-11-3 team that will enter the game with 39 points and in third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Drouin has not played since Dec. 2 because of a lower-body injury, although he participated in the morning skate Thursday and was a full participant Friday.

The Islanders have suffered significant player personnel losses this season. Physical defenseman Alexander Romanov was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury after being boarded by Stars winger Mikko Rantanen in the Islanders’ 3-2 win in Dallas on Nov. 18. Ten days later,  Kyle Palmieri  suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau recently returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury, but  Bo Horvat won’t play Saturday after suffering a lower-body injury in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Ducks.

Horvat, who leads the Islanders in goals (19) and points (31), became tangled up with Anaheim defenseman Drew Helleson late in the second period. As he corkscrewed onto the ice, his left ankle bent at an awkward angle. He did not put weight on the left leg as he left the ice.

Afterward, coach Patrick Roy said Horvat is “day-to-day,” and he reiterated that diagnosis during his media availability Friday.

So yes, the incorporation of Drouin back into the lineup is a boon for a team that has won two in a row and five of six games.

“It’s huge,” Anders Lee said. “Look, we’ve been plugging some holes and the guys have done a good job filling some shoes. It’s always great when you get a player like [Drouin] coming back into the lineup, and he’s excited and ready to go and make a big impact for us.”

Signed to a two-year, $8 million contract on July 1 to provide additional scoring, Drouin has three goals and 12 assists in 26 games this season. He will start the final regular-season matchup against the Lightning on a line with Mathew Barzal and Emil Heineman.

“[Drouin and Barzal] have been playing together, and during the year [Drouin and Heineman have played] together, so I just like the chemistry,” Roy said when asked what his thought process was in creating the line. “I think that’s going to facilitate their way to play.”

The trio has skated together for only six minutes and 36 seconds in 25 games this season, but they have generated six scoring chances and yielded only two, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Although Drouin and Barzal have been on the ice for three more scoring chances against than for (86-83) over the course of the season, it does bear noting that Drouin and Heineman have a 45-40 advantage in scoring chances and Heineman and Barzal have created four more scoring chances (35-31) than their opponents.