DENVER – He was in so much pain right after it happened that he needed a bit of morphine to settle it down. There was enough of a scene inside the Avalanche’s X-ray room that officials wouldn’t allow any cameras or other photographic media near it. On the night of Feb. 18, it looked like Erik Johnson’s season was done, and so, too, the Avs’ playoff hopes.

“Up until even a couple weeks ago, I thought maybe (he was done for the year),” Johnson told BSN Denver after making a surprise return to the lineup Sunday in a 5-1 Avs victory over Detroit. “But, you know, I don’t think anyone’s playing at 100 percent this time of year anyway, so it was one of those things where it felt good enough to come back and this time of year, points are at a premium. So, I wanted to get back as quick as I could and fortunately for me it was only a month.”

How Johnson suffered a separated shoulder a month ago, in a game at home against the Edmonton Oilers, it still seems unclear to him and everyone else. He was just making what looked like a routine play along the Avs’ bench, with little contact with anyone from the Oilers, when he went down in a heap, writhing around in agony.

Here, to his best recollection, is what happened:

“It was a freaky-type deal,” Johnson told BSN Denver. “I was just standing still, and the other guy (Anton Slepyshev) came with a lot of speed and kind of put me in a bad spot. I’m glad it’s over with and I can start playing again.”

Johnson didn’t participate in any full-contact practices in his rehabilitation, which is usually the pro forma way to be certified to play again by Avs medical staff. He did skate on his own Saturday, though, and had his shoulder tested with some contact from some of the other injured Avs’ guys also out there. After that, he talked it over with coach Jared Bednar and it was decided he would be able to return.

Johnson played nearly 20 minutes and played well, including administering (and taking) a big hit on his first shift. He seemed pleased with how the day went personally afterward.

“I knew I’d be a little rusty, but I was pretty happy with how I felt. I don’t think conditioning was a problem,” he said. “The timing felt OK, and most important, we won. Guys did a great job when I was out, battling for points, and it feels great to come back this time of year and make a push.”

The Avs went 7-2-4 in Johnson’s absence, way better than anyone expected. Anyone who doesn’t actually play for the team, that is. The pundits may have written them off, but the Avs found ways to get points without him, enough to still maintain one of the two wild card spots in the West, with 10 games to go.

“It would be a much different scenario if I had come back right now and we were five or six points out. The guys did an unbelievable job and made it a lot easier on me to come back and make sure I was ready,” he said. “Hopefully, I can be a difference-maker. I’ve been skating for about three weeks, so conditioning was never a factor. I just tried to be simple and quick today.”

The Avs won’t practice Monday, so Johnson already has earned a day off. The one good about an injury can be: Sometimes it makes for a fresher player down the stretch, when it really matters. It’s too soon to declare it such, but maybe Johnson’s injury will prove a blessing in disguise.