Josh Manson returns to practice, Avs could be healthy before Round 2

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson was back at practice on Saturday.

And the Avs could be fully healthy before Round 2 of the playoffs begins on Sunday night at Ball Arena against the Minnesota Wild.

Colorado skated on Saturday and Manson returned to the ice and went through the full workout with the rest of the team.

Head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t confirm that Manson will be good to go for Game 1 versus the Wild, rather still calling him “day-to-day.”

Josh Manson left Game 3 in the first-round against the Los Angeles Kings with an upper-body injury. He briefly returned in the second period of that contest, but it didn’t go well.

Manson was on the ice for an L.A. goal to tie the game 1-1 and also committed a penalty on the play. He went down the tunnel again and didn’t come back, logging just 4:57 of ice time.

He then sat out Game 4 as the Avalanche completed the sweep of the Kings and didn’t practice this week until Saturday.

But that’s the benefit of a quick Round 1 series as Josh Manson and the rest of the Avalanche had plenty of time off to rest and recover. We’ll see if it was enough to get him back to game action.

It feels like it’s been forever since Colorado has played hockey, but with a week between games they should be fresh versus the Wild.

The second-round action begins in only one more day.

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