Purvis (22) passed a fitness test yesterday and has been included in the 12-strong squad.
Steel coach Janine Southby is yet to decide whether the 1.86m defender will start or come off the bench, but she is expected to play.
Her return comes at least a week earlier than expected, after she damaged ligaments in her left ankle in the final minute of a one-point win against the Pulse a fortnight ago.
Jane Watson hardly put a foot wrong filling in for Purvis in last week's 59-53 loss to the Magic in Hamilton, impressing her coach with 60 minutes of hard-nosed defence.
''I thought Jane stepped up really well,'' she said.
''I thought she got a lot of really good ball. To be honest, between her and Stacey [Peeters], I thought they kept us in the game.''
Whether Watson or Purvis starts alongside Phoenix Karaka, the Steel will be well equipped at the defensive end.
However, it is further up court where improvements need to made to keep the Steel in the playoff hunt.
The Steel must find a way to cut down on turnovers, something which cost the team dearly last week.
Southby said the team had been ''pretty upfront'' with what they need to work on in the aftermath of the loss.
''I think they put in a pretty good effort when we trained this week,'' she said.
''I'm looking for them to step up and they know they have put pressure on themselves. But it's just about doing the basics really well, which I think we went away from on Sunday night in Hamilton.''
The Steel and Pulse are locked on seven competition points in the New Zealand conference with three rounds to play, but it is the Steel clinging on to the third and final playoff spot courtesy of a superior goal percentage.
The playoff equation is pretty simple for the Steel - win the final three games and make the playoffs.
A loss tomorrow night will not kill off any playoff aspirations, but it will mean relying on other results down the stretch.
Southby, who will lead the team for the 50th time (co-coach in 2012, solely since 2013), said the ingredients for winning were simple.
''I know it sounds really boring and you hear it from every coach, but it is about getting the basics right and actually doing your own job.
''That's got to be the focus first. We know when we do those things we perform well. And ultimately it has to be about our performance. If we get those things right then the outcome takes care of itself.''
It has only been two weeks since the Steel pipped the Pulse in a thriller in Dunedin, and Southby is expecting a backlash from the side in yellow tomorrow.
''They're an experienced group and they were hurting quite a lot after that game,'' she said.
''I think we would be foolish to think they are going to throw anything as us other than their A game. So it's about us making sure we do our jobs first and stay connected as a whole team.''
The Steel leaves for Palmerston North this morning.
Steel v Pulse
Palmerston Nth, tomorrow, 7.10pm
Head to head: Played 15, Steel 9, Pulse 6.
Greatest winning margins: Steel 24, Pulse 11.
