Mon 12/5/11 7:57 AM

Erik Johnson played just 15:06 minutes in his return from a groin injury on Sunday. The Avalanche decided to go with seven defensemen in their 4-2 victory over Detroit, which allowed them to ease Johnson back into the lineup. Johnson had two penalty minutes, four shots on goal, one blocked shot, and two hits. Look for him to get more playing time on Tuesday against Vancouver.