Suspension served, Johnson back on ice
GLENDALE, ARIZ.» Coming off a two-game NHL suspension, defenseman Erik Johnson will return to the Avalanche lineup Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Johnson, who was suspended for his boarding penalty on Tampa Bay’s Vladislav Namestnikov last Saturday in Denver, was proud of how the Avs played without him, going 1-0-1.
The Avs defeated visiting Pittsburgh 4-2 on Monday and lost 2-1 in overtime at Los Angeles on Thursday. Johnson still leads Colorado in average ice time, at 25:38, which is eighth-highest in the league.
“Boys have played good. Really good,” Johnson said late Thursday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “There’s nothing worse than being out of the lineup and seeing the team struggle, so it was good to see them be so successful. It makes it soften the blow, a little bit. It still stinks not playing, but the guys played great and I’m excited to get back in the lineup. I’ll just jump back in and play the way I’ve been playing and hopefully we’ll keep going the right way. It’s pretty sound hockey we’re playing right now.”
Before Johnson’s suspension, the Avalanche was playing seven defensemen instead of the traditional six. So he wasn’t replaced in the lineup. As for ice time, Tyson Barrie logged team highs of 24:31 and 26:23 the last two games, respectively, and Patrik Nemeth, Nikita Zadorov and Mark Barberio each played more than 21 minutes Thursday and more than 19 minutes Monday.
So it was replace Johnson by committee.
“However the minutes shake out, they shake out,” Johnson said about Saturday and beyond. “It’s all about team success. So if I play 20 minutes or 25, it really doesn’t matter to me. When your number is called, you go out and do the best you can. Regardless of the minutes, you want to contribute. I’m just excited to get back in there.”
Immediately after Saturday’s game, the Avs will charter back to Denver and begin the NHL’s three-day Christmas break. They will reconvene for a morning skate Wednesday and host Arizona that evening.