CHICAGO — It's been five games since Adam Pelech returned to action for the Islanders from a presumed wrist injury, but he knows the Islanders haven't seen the best of him yet.
“I'm not necessarily happy with how I've played the last few games,” Pelech told the Post after Thursday's practice. “I think it's coming back. I feel better every night. So I just have to keep my head down and keep working. It's going to come back and I'm going to be right back where I want to be.”
Although he has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game since returning 10 days ago, Pelech typically plays on a second pair with Scott Mayfield, who also returned from injury. It's clear that both players are not quite themselves yet.
Per Natural Stat Trick, the pairing of Pelec and Mayfield has lost 33-13 while scoring four goals in the five games Pelec has been on the ice for since his return.
“Honestly, I think the most difficult thing is… [of returning to the lineup] Everyone else has been playing every day for the past two months and getting better. And when I get hurt, I don’t get hurt,” Perek said. “There's always a period where you need to catch up. But it's already been five games.
“I think my game is getting better, but I'm still not where I want to be. It's time to get back to who I am.”
The islanders need to make this happen as soon as possible. They haven't been able to play a healthy, full-strength defense for most of the season, and that's reflected in the numbers, which show they're one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
That's foreign for a club that has long prided itself on being physically strong and difficult to play against. Perek, one of the rocks of that identity, is also struggling.
“He needs to keep improving his timing,” coach Lane Lambert said. “I think he's getting better as he goes, there's no doubt about that. I think he has another level to the level that we want him to have.”
Pierre Engvall (upper body) did not participate in Thursday's practice. Lambert said she didn't know when Engvall would resume skating, but she continued to call him every day.
Kyle McClain is expected to skate between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck in his NHL debut Friday against the Blackhawks. Julien Gauthier practiced on the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, while Matt Barzal returned to the top line with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat.
The second line of Hudson Fassing, Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri remained unchanged.
