As one top-six forward left the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, another returned.

Right wing Jonathan Drouin returned from an injury in the Avalanche’s 5-1 loss against the Dallas Stars. Drouin’s return came on the same day Valeri Nichushkin received a minimum-six-month suspension from the NHL.

Drouin admitted it took time for him to shake off the rust from missing about a month with a lower-body injury.

“You miss a month and come back in the second round of the playoffs, some shifts are tougher than others, but at the end of the day it was fun playing and getting back with the team,” Drouin said.

Drouin fired one shot and logged the assist on Casey Mittelstadt’s goal in the second period. His plus-minus was minus-2, meaning the Stars outscored the Avalanche 3-1 while he was on the ice.

“It’s hard to stop for a month,” Drouin said. “But as the game went on, I felt a little more comfortable. I wish I was playing from Game 1.”

While Drouin wasn’t particularly pleased with his performance, he wasn’t the only one who struggled. Stars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar each finished minus-3.

Avs coach Jared Bednar thought Drouin, a 29-year-old forward, was actually one of his team’s more lively players.

“He played well tonight,” Bednar said. “I thought for the amount of time he had off, I thought that he had good legs and played hard and played well.”

Drouin logged 56 points in 79 games during the regular season. His return is crucial as the Avalanche lose an offensive star like Nichushkin.

Nichushkin scored nine goals in the Avs’ first eight playoff games, which is tied with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman for the most in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Nichushkin was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s player assistance program with no further information given from the league. He is required to miss at least six months, without pay, before being eligible for reinstatement.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound forward’s departure leaves an opportunity for Drouin to take a larger role in Colorado’s attack.

But Drouin knows he’s not the only one who needs to step up.

“Everybody does,” Drouin said. “You can’t mimic a player like that. You can’t make another one; he’s so big and so strong. Every guy has to step up.”

With the Avalanche now trailing Dallas 3-1 in the series, Drouin hopes his team’s approach is like his recovery — slow and steady.

“It’s just one game,” Drouin said. “We can’t win two in the next game. It’s all about one game and focusing on Wednesday. We’ll have to simplify our game a little bit.”

The Stars host the Avalanche for Game 5 in Dallas on Wednesday.