Though all signs pointed toward Travis Hamonic being ready for Wednesday night’s Stadium Series matchup against the Rangers outside at Yankee Stadium, the Islanders’ No. 1 defenseman woke up on Tuesday morning not feeling well and was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 12.
That is the day he was concussed in a game against the Stars in Dallas, and he has been suffering from the symptoms ever since. He practiced for the first time with contact Monday morning at the Coliseum before the team’s 6-3 loss to the Bruins, and was expected to practice with contact again on Wednesday in The Bronx.
Yet after waking up in no shape to practice, Hamonic is going to be reevaluated by team doctors before a decision is made on the next step. He did participate in the family skate after the practice, but declined comment.
A team source said the organization is certainly worried about the situation — as they would be regarding any serious head injury — and there is a possibility if things don’t improve, Hamonic will go to the University of Michigan to check in with Dr. Jeffrey Scott Kutcher, who recently helped defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky recover from his own concussion.
“We don’t have any timetable for him,” coach Jack Capuano said. “He just is starting to progress a little bit and still not feeling well. So, again, it’s a little bit of a process for him, and we’ll just take it as it goes.”
Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck created a minor stir when he got out to the ice for practice with eye black all over his bearded face.
“I was in there and tried to do some nice streaks under my eyes and they didn’t go very well,” Clutterbuck said. “So I decided to keep going, cover the whole face.”
Apparently oblivious of the racial overtones, he insisted he was kidding around.
“I won’t do anything like that [Wednesday],” he said. “We were just having some fun in here. I thought it would get a couple giggles if I came out with my face covered in black.”
Rookie defenseman Matt Donovan was called up from AHL Bridgeport Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after being sent down. He was in the middle of a practice with the Sound Tigers when his coach, Scott Pellerin, pulled him aside and told him to get off the ice, he would be going to Yankee Stadium.
“That’s the life of a pro hockey player,” said Donovan, who was sent down after not participating in Monday’s morning skate. “You just have to kind of roll with the punches.”
Capuano did not say if Donovan will play, though according to some parts of practice, it looked as if he will take Matt Carkner ’s spot.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said he changes undershirts between periods outdoors, but doesn’t indoors.
“I wear the same one all game [indoors], but I switch after each period [outside] so it doesn’t get too cold when the sweat dries,” Lundqvist said.
Rangers forward Dominic Moore on the feeling of the stands being so far away:
“You think it’s going to feel like you’re on an island,” Moore said, “but it’s not that way at all. The fans are so loud and engaged it feels like they’re right on top of you.”
The Rangers will be having a morning skate at their practice facility in Westchester, then staying at a hotel before traveling to the game by bus Wednesday.
The Islanders are not skating in the morning.