Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov and right winger Milan Hejduk will return to the Avs lineup Friday when it begins its final five-game stretch of the season.

Varlamov, who will start in Colorado’s fifth and final meeting against the Oilers, hasn’t played in the past six games, some of which because of a hip injury, and Hejduk has been recovering from a shoulder injury or was a healthy scratch over the last nine games.

Defensemen Erik Johnson (wrist) and Ryan Wilson (ankle) will remain out with injuries, Avs coach Joe Sacco said after Thursday’s practice.

Colorado, 2-0-2 (six of eight points) over its last four games, remains last in the 15-team Western Conference, three points behind the Calgary Flames. The Avs are second-to-last in the NHL, three points ahead of the Florida Panthers, and just one ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Avs begin a home-and-home series with St. Louis on Sunday in Denver before visiting the Blues on Tuesday, playing at the Phoenix Coyotes on Feb. 26 and concluding against the visiting Minnesota Wild on April 27 in Denver. Those final four opponents are in the playoff hunt.

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357, mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mchambersdp