Ondrej Palat, Anthony Duclair providing Islanders with surprise and necessary depth

Going into the summer, Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair felt like representations of what the Islanders did not need: underproducing wingers who had struggled to justify their presence in the lineup, with their cap charges only exacerbating the problem. Though the season is still at such an early stage that small-sample caveats can apply to every sentence, it’s not a mere pleasant surprise that both players have produced thus far.It’s a necessary condition if the Islanders — still without Mathew Barzal, by the way — are going to find the necessary forward depth to compete for a playoff spot.

It’s one that both players are doing their part to fulfill. “I don’t think I play on another level [as opposed to last season].I work really hard, even when I got here,” Palat told The Post before the Islanders faced Tampa Bay on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

“I just think I’m playing a little bit differently.I was working during the summer.

Point-wise, still, I want to be better, but we’ve created a lot of chances.” Palat, 35, said he made changes to his offseason routine to compensate for age but preferred to keep the specifics private.So far, they’ve worked.

He’s played with noticeably more energy, and the Islanders’ fourth line has been noticeably more up ice. “They’ve been maybe our most consistent line,” DeBoer said of the trio that currently includes Matias Maccelli and Casey Cizikas in addition to Palat.“It’s exactly what I talked about at the beginning of the year.

The goal isn’t to get out there and survive your shift.It’s to tilt the ice, chip in some goals and help us win games.

I think they’ve taken that message and kind of run with it.” That’s noticeably different from the sort of fourth line the Islanders spent years with, and which they’ve failed to replicate since Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin aged out.During camp, it seemed like an odd fit, but the fruits of it are starting to pay off.

DeBoer’s ...