Defenseman Ian Cole will return to the Avalanche lineup Friday at San Jose after missing 11 games with a broken orbital bone around his left eye. Cole, who leads the Avs in blocked shots (137), penalty minutes (94) and average shorthanded ice time (3:32), said he had surgery the day after he sustained the injury in a fight against Tom Wilson on Feb. 7 at Washington.
“It’s one of those things — it happens in the game of hockey,” Cole said Thursday after practice. “Luckily, it’s a pretty simple fix for the docs. It just takes a little time to recover.