On Sunday, the New York Islanders were forced to play one of their thinnest bluelines of the year in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Canucks.
Tonight, that blueline will be much deeper.
Travis Hamonic will return from a four-game absence when the Isles take on the Senators in Ottawa, the club confirmed on Friday morning. It’s a welcome return for New York, as Hamonic plays nearly 24 minutes a night, and is coming off a career-high 33 points in ’14-15.
The 25-year-old, who’s been in the headlines this year because of his trade request, hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury against the Capitals on Jan. 7.
That injury put Hamonic on the shelf next to fellow blueliners Johnny Boychuk and Adam Pelech, forcing head coach Jack Capuano to ice a defense comprised of Nick Leddy, Thomas Hickey, Marek Zidlicky, Brian Strait, Scott Mayfield and Calvin de Haan against Vancouver.
Leddy and Hickey both played over 25 minutes, while de Haan clocked in at 23:40.
Mayfield will be the one to come out of the lineup for Hamonic.
Related: Isles’ D takes another hit as Pelech (upper body) reportedly done for year