Avs Game 8 Grades: Defense shining

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – N/A

Bellemare hit the crossbar early on a breakaway and then suffered what looked like it could be a serious injury later in the first period. There was no update after the game, so we’ll find out more this weekend.

Andre Burakovsky – B+

Best shot metrics on the team this evening, as the Avs controlled 68% of the shots with him on the ice. That’s now three goals in five games for him, as he is once again proving to be massive for this team’s secondary scoring.

Bowen Byram – A-

Like 74 other players in this game, Byram struck iron in the second period after creating a shooting lane for himself. Loved his game overall, and really loved seeing him continue to attack offensively with a two-goal lead late in the third. As far as a complete effort, that may have been his most solid game yet.

J.T. Compher – C+

A much more noticeable game for Compher, as he was skating a lot better and seemed more willing to hold onto the puck than before. The offense still really isn’t there, but this is a start, and he had a good game on the PK.

Joonas Donskoi – B-

Another game goes by, and another game where Donskoi picks up a point. He battled hard in front of the net on Kadri’s goal, which ultimately opened up the floodgates. Like Compher, seemed like he was skating a little bit better in this one.

Samuel Girard – B

I didn’t like Girard’s first period, as he was making uncharacteristic mistakes with the puck and took a penalty. After that, he did his thing and seemingly had the puck on his stick half the game. The pair of he and Byram were crazy to watch in the offensive zone together, as they switch sides and move around almost constantly. It has to be impossible for opposing teams to keep track of.

Ryan Graves – C

Just a brutal first period, where he took a penalty late just reaching and you could sense the frustration. Beyond that, he did calm down a lot and played really well on the penalty kill.

Philipp Grubauer – A+

The Avs didn’t have a ton of jump in the first period, and while Grubauer didn’t have to face a ton of shots, there were some good chances that he had to shut down. After that, it was just calm, easy saves, and he really looks in the zone so far this year. He won’t play in both of the games this weekend, but he seems to be embracing the early season workload.

Erik Johnson – B

I didn’t love EJ’s overall game at even strength, but I will say that he was an absolute monster on the penalty kill, breaking up passes, and killing chances all by himself. That’s where his true value is going to be this year, outside of his veteran presence with a younger team.

Tyson Jost – B

Much like EJ, I didn’t love his game at even strength, although he did have a nice rush to the net in the second. But on the penalty kill, it was more of what we’ve seen from him this season. I imagine if Bellemare is out for an extended period of time, Jost just slides into the middle on the fourth line.

Nazem Kadri – A+

From the drop of the puck, you could tell he was into the game. 17 shot attempts in a single game is insane, and with 10 hitting the net, you knew he was going to shoot his way out of this slump eventually. A huge three-point night and the sauce on the pass to Burakovsky for his goal was unreal.

Gabriel Landeskog -B+

The best part about Landy’s game tonight was his willingness to just crash the net and try to will the puck behind the goalie. It’s something we’ve seen less and less of as he’s gotten older, and that’s not a bad thing, because you want him staying healthy, but occasionally it comes out and I love it.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

MacK did everything but score in this one. 10 shot attempts on his own, and a post, much like his teammates. Nice to see him pick up an assist for his troubles late, and you can just see a goal-scoring breakout coming sometime soon.

Cale Makar – A-

Got stuck chasing in his own zone a lot in the first period, and then decided that he had enough of it in the second period and took over the game. I really am pretty happy with his defensive game overall, with the only concern being a few hiccups in front of his own net this year. It seemed like every one of his shots was getting blocked until late, but one thing I want to see is him being more selfish when he’s rushing with the puck.

Valeri Nichushkin – C

Probably the weak spot upfront, all things considered. Got beat up at even strength in shot attempts, but did some nice things on the penalty kill. Killed some plays in the offensive zone with some passes getting broken up.

Mikko Rantanen – B

Mikko is on another level defensively than I’ve seen from him in his career. The commitment from in the defensive zone almost looks Hossa-esque right now. Early in the game, he rushed back to break up an odd-man rush, and late in the game, he was defending down low. That’s not the Mikko we’ve seen in the past, but I’m here for it.

Brandon Saad – A

A lot to like about Saad’s 200-foot game, as it was on full display. On the game-winning and opening goal, Saad did a great job rushing the puck up the ice and protecting it while his linemates changed, holding off the bigger Brent Burns for a few seconds until help came. Great center net drive on the second goal as well.

Kiefer Sherwood – B-

Late icing, but I liked him more tonight than the other night. The spinning pass he made to spring Bellemare for a breakaway was tremendous, and he created some chances himself. With the injuries, he may get comfortable in the lineup.

Devon Toews – C

I actually felt this was Toews’s sloppiest game in an Avs uniform. Some turnovers that we haven’t seen from him consistently that I doubt we see much. Avs nation probably held their collective breath late when he took a shot off the foot but managed to make his way back.