Injury Updates On Johnson, Varlamov

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar announced on Saturday that defenseman Erik Johnson is out for a minimum of six weeks with a fractured, non-displaced patella.
Johnson missed 13 contests earlier this season with an upper-body injury and returned on March 18. He scored twice and added an assist in six contests since his return but didn't play in Colorado's last contest, a 5-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

The Bloomington, Minnesota, native is second among Avalanche defensemen in scoring with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 62 games this campaign. Johnson is seventh in the NHL with an average of 25:26 of ice time per game and leads the league with 30.7 shifts per contest.
"It's a huge loss for us because E.J. is our top D and obviously we need him all the time," said Nikita Zadorov. "Without him right now it's going to be tough, but it's time for other guys to step it up like they did all season long."

Bednar also announced that goaltender Semyon Varlamov has a lower-body injury and will miss the rest of the regular season.
He has a 24-16-6 record this campaign with a 2.68 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
The Samara, Russia, native left Colorado's contest against Chicago with 6:25 remaining after a Blackhawks player ran into him while driving toward the net.
"[Varlamov] has got a couple different things going on from that collision, so he is going to get reevaluated next week sometime," said Bednar.
Netminder Jonathan Bernier came in and denied all three shots he faced after Varlamov left the contest to preserve the shutout for the Avalanche.

"Only one goalie can play, we feel confident in both of those guys so Berns is going to get the net," said Bednar. "He has stepped up and elevated his game and won us a bunch of hockey games when Varly has been out before, and now we need him to do it again."
Varlamov suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 2 and returned to game action on Feb. 3. Bernier played in each of the Avs' 11 games while the Russian goalie was out and went 8-2-1 during that stretch.
"It feels like we haven't had both of those guys together since Christmas," said Bednar. "I know that's a bit of a stretch, but we certainly haven't been able to keep them both healthy for long."
Shortly after Varlamov recovered, Bernier was injured on Feb. 16 and missed 16 of Colorado's next 21 games with two seperate head injuries and an infection from a cut on his hand.
Varlamov appeared in each of the Avalanche's contests from Feb. 14 to March 26 while Bernier was out. He earned a 10-4-4 record during the 21-game stretch, one shy of tying his career long of 22 (all starts) that he set in 2014-15.
Bernier will be in net for the Avs on Sunday as they start a three-game California road trip at the Anaheim Ducks. Colorado also has stops in Los Angeles and San Jose on the trek.