Nathan MacKinnon will be back from injury on Sunday

Nathan MacKinnon will return to the Colorado Avalanche roster on Sunday after missing the last four games and the All-Star Game with a concussion and a fractured face.

MacKinnon last played Jan. 26 in a game against the Boston Bruins, but was forced out early in the first period after an awkward collision with Taylor Hall. He also missed a long stretch earlier in the season with a lower body injury. He has 43 points (9G/34A) in 31 games.

The Avalanche will play in Dallas on Sunday and are in the midst of an extremely impressive 24-game streak (21-1-2). They are currently first in the league with 70 points and a 33-8-4 record.

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Fantastic turn

The Avalanche haven’t missed a beat offensively with Mackinnon out of the lineup, going 3-0-1 and scoring 15 goals in that span thanks in part to Valeri Nichushkin’s warm-up.

Nichushkin replaced MacKinnon on the front row to play with Landeskog and Rantanen and scored five points in his absence (2G/3A). Nichushkin has been productive all season with 24 points (13G/11A) in 29 games and shouldn’t be too impacted by MacKinnon’s return as he will move to an equally effective second line with Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky.

Alex Newhook is the player most affected by MacKinnon’s return as he moves to the third line. Newhook has recorded two assists in its last four games and has seen a significant increase in ice time.