Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson didn’t expect to be a spectator for two weeks.
He suffered the same injury a couple of years ago and was back on the ice the very next game.
But this time when a collision with Avalanche center Matt Duchene bruised his shoulder, he required six games to heal.
“Obviously, we wanted to make sure I was ready to come back and I was strong enough to come back and play,” the 24-year-old said.
Ekman-Larsson returned to action Tuesday against the Oilers, ending the longest injury-induced absence of his NHL career.