NHL Buzz: Wood activated from injured reserve by Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche

Miles Wood has been activated from Sunday’s Risured Reserve and will return against the New York Rangers (1 p.m. ET; MSG, Alt, SN, TVAS).

The forward, who missed 27 games with a back injury, accompanied the team on the trip but did not play in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

“Right before the playoffs last year, I dealt with it, and then the offseason came and I felt great because I wasn’t playing hockey,” Wood said Thursday. “And then it just triggered it again. It’s very frustrating because I thought it was healed and then I upgraded it again and then it went back to square one. So I hope I don’t have to deal with that. “

Wood practiced Thursday, sharing shifts on the fourth line with forwards Juuso Parssinen, Jere Innolaa and Chris Wagner.

“They’ll probably tone it down a little bit here. He hasn’t been around for a long time,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Thursday. “I think this is only his second practice with our team, just because we’ve had all these days off and I think the last one was last week. So it was long enough that he felt good enough to join our team, but we just didn’t have a few skaters, just with the schedule.

“So I would like him to be with our team for another five, even six skates, but he feels good. I’d rather have him in the lineup, even if it’s limited minutes.”

Wood has three points (two goals, one assist) in 16 games this season. He also missed seven games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

“I hope to come back 100 percent, but learning about the issues and talking to players who have dealt with the same thing will be something I will have to deal with for the rest of my career,” he said. -Ryan Boulding