The Avalanche are playing well again and starting to get some veterans back to help in the stretch run.
Forward Colin Wilson returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing eight games with an upper-body injury, and he had a first-period assist in Colorado’s 3-2 shootout win against Vancouver at the Pepsi Center.
Now, defenseman Ian Cole is on the verge of playing after missing 11 games with a broken orbital bone.
Here’s my NHL.com GAME STORY from Wednesday.
Cole took part in practice Thursday while wearing a regular jersey, after which coach Jared Bednar said he would be available this weekend when the Avalanche play Friday in San Jose and Sunday in Anaheim.
Cole will need to keep wearing a full face shield to protect the bone surrounding his left eye, possibly for the remainder of the season, but he’s been skating for a week and getting used to it.
“It is a little annoying,… said Cole, who wore a cage when he played at Notre Dame. “Having bars down here is annoying because it’s tough to look up and still see the puck because it’s going in and out of bars. The line kind of seams around the visor a little bit thicker, so it’s kind of a wavy effect when you get near the seams.
“But these are all things that, hopefully … give it a couple of days, a couple games, and you won’t even notice it. I’ll be wearing it for at least a month, if not two, so you get used to it. I’ve been skating for a week now and it’s getting better. It’s coming along nicely. I recover quick.…
Cole sustained the injury in a brutal fight with Washington’s Tom Wilson on Feb. 7. He underwent surgery the next day.
“It was scary, obviously,… he said of the injury. “Not ideal, but the doc said it was a pretty simple fix and it just takes time for the eye to get back to being as precise as it was before. It’s all starting to come around after the surgery.
"The muscles don’t work as well after the surgery, so it takes time to not only get working again as far as moving the eye, but with the precision that it takes to get to certain spots quickly and to focus. We’re very fortunate it wasn’t too bad, very fortunate we had some great doctors to fix it.…
The Avalanche went 6-2-3 in Cole’s absence and have gone 5-0-1 in the past six games to move back into a playoff position, though the Western Conference standings seem to change on a daily basis.
“It’s been great to watch,… Cole said. “I don’t want to come in and have it start going the other way. That’s bad luck. But I’m excited to help out. I want to come in and try to play hard and just continue to do all the good things that we’ve been doing recently.…
Whether Cole returns Friday or Sunday, Bednar will have to scratch a defenseman unless he chooses to dress an extra one and go with 11 forwards.
“The team’s been playing good, Cole gets hurt -- obviously a veteran guy, a relied-upon guy for us,… Bednar said. “We’ll just take it day by day and see how guys do.…
Cole has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 53 games. He averages 20:31 in ice time and leads the Avalanche in penalty minutes (94) and blocked shots (137).
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Defenseman Mark Barberio and forward Matt Nieto remain out with leg injuries.
Defense prospect Conor Timmins continues to impress while wearing a non-contact jersey in practices as he recovers from post-concussion issues. He will go to Loveland and skate with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL while the Avalanche are away. There's still no timeline as to when or if he will play this season.