New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan will play in Thursday's game against the New York Islanders following an eight-day absence caused by a shoulder subluxation.

Callahan had sat out the Rangers' last three contests with the injury, which occurred during a scuffle with Philadelphia's Maxime Talbot in the third period of a Jan. 29 matchup against the Flyers. The veteran right wing was initially expected to miss between 10-to-14 days, but will return slightly ahead of schedule after participating fully in Thursday's morning skate without incident.

The seven-year pro, who ranked second on the Blueshirts with a career-high 29 goals last season, scored twice in six games prior to being shelved.