Johnson was injured early in the third period of Colorado's game versus the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 18. He has missed 13 games, with the Avs going 7-2-4 in his absence.

After missing the last four weeks with an upper-body injury, defenseman Erik Johnson will be back in the Colorado Avalanche lineup for Sunday's afternoon contest versus the Detroit Red Wings.

The Bloomington, Minnesota, native is sixth in the NHL and leads the Avalanche in ice time, averaging 25:43 per game. Johnson is tied for 11th among league blueliners with three game-winning goals this campaign.

He is second among Avalanche defensemen in scoring with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 56 games in the 2017-18 campaign and has 259 points (68 goals, 191 assists) in 631 career NHL games.

When he was injured, Johnson had been on the first defensive pairing with 22-year-old Nikita Zadorov, but it is unknown who he will play with against Detroit. Zadorov has primarily played with Tyson Barrie while Johnson has been recovering from his injury.