It's taken much longer than anyone anticipated, but Avalanche forward
Sven Andrighetto is on the cusp of being medically cleared and returning to the lineup.
He took part in a full contact practice Monday and traveled with the team to Chicago. He won't play Tuesday against the Blackhawks but might play Thursday in Columbus.
"First day with a normal jersey," said Andrighetto, who sustained a leg injury New Year's Eve against the New York Islanders. "It definitely feels good to be out there with the boys again. It's been a long time."
Andrighetto slid into the boards late in the third period, after which the Avalanche labeled his status as day to day.
"It actually happened before I hit the boards," he said. "My leg got stuck in the ice and I fell weird on it. It took way longer (to heal) than we expected in the beginning. I'm on the way back now, so it's positive."
Andrighetto had 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 19 games with the Avalanche last season after being acquired from Montreal for
Andreas Martinsen at the trading deadline.
Andrighetto, who signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract in the offseason, has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 37 games this year. He was struggling with one goal in a 21-game stretch before he was hurt, but he's eager to rejoin the Avalanche and help them get into the playoffs.
"The team is playing great and I can't wait to join them again," he said. "I feel really good."
Another forward,
Vladislav Kamenev, also practiced Monday and is on the trip, but Bednar said he hasn't been medically cleared and won't play in either game. He suffered a broken arm in his Avalanche debut Nov. 16 against Washington.
Semyon Varlamov will start Tuesday despite allowing a couple of soft goals Sunday in the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss to Nashville.
Here's the NHL.com
GAME STORY.
Jonathan Bernier will be activated from injured reserve, so
Spencer Martin was reassigned to San Antonio of the AHL. Bernier has missed eight games to recover from the concussion he sustained Feb. 16 in Winnipeg.
Bednar said he "can't say for certain" when defensemen
Erik Johnson (shoulder) and
Mark Barberio (upper-body injury) might return. They skated on their own wearing no-contact jerseys.
*****
Nathan MacKinnon was named the NHL's first star for the week ending Sunday. He had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in four games.
MacKinnon is fifth in the league in scoring with 77 points (31 goals, 46 assists) in 57 games. He has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in eight games since returning from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss eight games. He is averaging a league best 1.35 points per game.
Winnipeg's
Patrik Laine was named the second star after getting seven points (four goals, three assists) in three games. Florida's
Aleksander Barkov was named the third star after he had six points (five goals, one assist) in four games.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
Join the Discussion:
»