Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, originally listed as day to day, returned to the lineup Thursday night after missing the previous 11 games with an upper-body injury.
Johnson, who partnered with Anton Lindholm on the third pairing against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, went down Nov. 23 against Toronto, when former teammate Alex Kerfoot checked him into the end boards. Kerfoot served a two-game suspension for boarding.
Johnson is the Avalanche’s longest-tenured player and an alternate captain. Avs coach Jared Bednar allowed him to return Thursday despite not going through a full team practice, which is usually mandatory with players coming off injured reserve.
With Johnson’s return, the Avs have just one major player still missing in action. Rookie defenseman Cale Makar missed his sixth game with an upper-body injury — believed to be to his left shoulder — Thursday. Makar entered the game still as Colorado’s second-leading scorer, with 28 points in 29 games.
Makar, 21, has been skating on his own and might be a candidate to play when Colorado hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday to conclude an extremely busing week with four games in six nights.
The Avs have had 16 players miss games with injuries or illness, including 15 who have missed multiple games. Forward Colin Wilson is the only regular still unavailable, and he had surgery recently and is out long-term.
