The New York Islanders will be getting a key blueliner back in the lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins.

After missing 11 games due to an upper-body injury, Noah Dobson is set to return, via Andrew Gross:

“Patrick Roy says expectation is Dobson plays tomorrow night in Boston. Not willing to say for sure who comes out. Maybe Perunovich.”

Dobson has been one of the Islanders' top defencemen for a few years now. In 2024-25, he's scored six goals and tallied 18 assists in 46 games for 24 points. He has played the second-most minutes of any D-man on the roster behind Tony DeAngelo.

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“He’s been working really hard in practice, so I’m not nervous,” Roy said of Dobson's recovery. “What I want to see is just controlling the puck, jumping in the rush, defending well. Do the things that he’s been doing very well since he’s been here.”

The Islanders have been dealing with a plethora of injuries this season. Their most notable one is Matthew Barzal, who was just placed on the LTIR. He had a procedure on his kneecap and isn't expected to return until late March.

While the Islanders had an 11-3-0 run in January and into February, they're struggling lately. New York is 25-25-7 and have been struggling lately, losing four in a row. Dobson's return should help considering how many goals they're allowing. The Isles have conceded at least four goals per contest during this current skid.

On a more positive note, the Islanders did beat the Bruins in overtime in early January and will be looking to replicate that performance on Thursday evening. Aside from Barzal being out, Matt Martin, Semyon Varlamov, Marcus Hogberg, and Mike Reilly remain out. It's been a very difficult campaign for this club in terms of health but hopefully, they will be close to full strength soon. Getting Dobson back is a step in the right direction.