In the midst of a deadlocked hunt for a playoff spot, the Colorado Avalanche will receive a huge boost Sunday, as defenseman Erik Johnson will play against the Detroit Red Wings after missing a month with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Johnson's return couldn't have come at a better time, as the Avalanche are in quite the battle for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference:

The Los Angeles Kings, who currently sit in third in the Pacific Division, are also at 84 points.

Every point will matter down the stretch, and having a steadying presence return to the blue line will be key. In 56 games this season, Johnson has 22 points while averaging a team-high 25:43 time on ice.

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Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele will play Sunday against the Dallas Stars after missing the last five games with an upper-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice said, according to Jets TV Reporter Mitchell Clinton.

Scheifele suffered the upper-body injury on March 6 agains tth

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Notre Dame, Ohio State, Cornell, and St. Cloud State will make up the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Hockey Championship bracket.

The remaining 12 teams in the bracket will be announced at noon ET.

The NCAA Frozen Four will take place April 5 and 7 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., giving St. Cloud State a possible home-ice advantage if they're able to advance that far.

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The 2017-18 Montreal Canadiens made history for all the wrong reasons Saturday.

In getting squashed 4-0 by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, Montreal set a franchise record for road regulation losses in a single season, according to TSN.

The Habs own the NHL's worst road record at 9-23-4, and rank dead last in both goals for and goals against away from home.

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was forced to exit Saturday's game in Vancouver after taking a puck up high.

No immediate update on his condition was offered, but he wasn't able to return.

Vlasic is averaging 22:39 of ice time this season, second on the Sharks only to Brent Burns.

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Stop the presses. The Vancouver Canucks have scored a goal.

Nikolay Goldobin fired one home on a power play midway through the first period against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, ending the Canucks' goal drought at 222 minutes and 57 seconds.

Vancouver was shut out in three straight games this week, against the Arizona Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks, respectively.

Before Goldobin snapped the goalless skid, the Canucks' previous one came courtesy of Jussi Jokinen in the second period of a loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 9.

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Reinforcements are on the way.

Following a win over Montreal on Saturday, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock indicated center Auston Matthews and goaltender Frederik Andersen could be back for Tuesday's showdown with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I think (Matthews) is playing right away here, I'm not 100 percent certain," Babcock said. "I think Freddie (Andersen) is playing right away. I think."

Matthews has not played since Feb. 22 because of a shoulder injury, while Andersen has been out since March 14 with an upper-body issue.

Thanks to the win over Montreal, Toronto sits five points back of Boston and seven points behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division standings.

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The St. Louis Blues' playoff hopes are fading, and now they've lost their best player to an injury.

Vladimir Tarasenko sustained an ailment Saturday night against the New York Rangers that the club would only classify as being of the upper-body variety, and the team revealed just before the second intermission that he would not return to the contest.

Tarasenko played nine shifts in the first period but none thereafter.

There was no indication of anything out of the ordinary on his last shift of the first period, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Tarasenko leads the Blues with 27 goals and came into Saturday's game tied with Brayden Schenn for the team lead with 58 points.

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The Boston Bruins keep finding ways to get the job done.

Without a host of key players, the Bruins went into Tampa Bay on Saturday and came out with a 3-0 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning.

They did it while missing Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, and Jake DeBrusk to injury, and losing David Backes in the first period with a laceration above his knee.

Stepping up in their absence was Tuukka Rask, who made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season, as well as Torey Krug, who recorded three assists.

Not only did the Bruins prevent Tampa Bay from clinching a playoff spot, they also moved to within two points of the Lightning, with a game in hand.

The Atlantic Division is far from settled and these two clubs will face off twice more before season's end - March 29 in Boston, and April 3 in Tampa Bay.

Buckle up.

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Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel was forced to leave Saturday's game in Columbus after taking a Mike Hoffman slap shot to the back of the head.

The shot was so hard, it actually knocked the No. 8 sticker off the back of Dzingel's helmet.

He was able to skate off the ice with assistance from the team's medical staff.

Earlier this season, Montreal's Philip Danault was hospitalized after taking a Zdeno Chara slap shot to the head.

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