Avs Game 12 Grades: Rust

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C

Nice to see him back in the lineup, and felt like the fourth line did completely fine considering the circumstances. Not sure he’s had the same lineups in consecutive games this year.

Andre Burakovsky – D

If Burky has the puck on a two on one, he should not be looking for a pass. That’s what he did early in the game when he held onto it way too long and by the time he shot, he had no angle whatsoever. Really disliked his game most of the night.

Bowen Byram – B-

Love the work from the red line back by Byram, but the offense just isn’t there yet. That’s completely fine. He looks really composed with the puck on the breakout and isn’t afraid to take a hit to make a play, which he did a few times tonight.

J.T. Compher – B-

Process wise, this felt like one of his better games overall, as that line didn’t have to spend too much time in their own end and had some chances to tie the game up. I can’t complain too much about his overall game, and I liked his work on the PK.

Joonas Donskoi – D

The only forward on the team who didn’t attempt a shot all night long, and that was with the fifth most time on ice among the forwards. Just not enough from that entire line, really.

Sheldon Dries – C

Considering the limited ice time he’s seen through two games, the opposition hasn’t done too much to expose him, but he’s working hard in that limited time and has been a positive side of the shot share.

Dennis Gilbert – F

He had a fine first game with the Avs, but tonight was brutal. Bad turnovers, bad pinches, including one towards the end of the second period where the only reason Vegas didn’t score was because of a rolling puck.

Ryan Graves – B

Probably one of his better, more consistent games this year, and it might have helped that this was kind of a grindy game that forced him to get back to basics. Hopefully, he can start to string together a few more of these and find a groove.

Philipp Grubauer – A-

Loved his game tonight. The goal was a great shot from a great goal scorer, even if some may want it back. He looks super composed, and the break didn’t seem to effect him much.

Nazem Kadri – D

A rough one from Kadri and MacKinnon seemed unhappy with his pass selection with 30 seconds left in the game when MacK was open in front of the net but Kadri went for the tougher pass.

Jacob MacDonald – B-

This dude is wild on the ice. He just kind of goes for it, which is both good and bad. He hit the post in the third and had a nice rush up the ice in the first, but also had some ugly turnovers and is kind of all over the place at times. Have liked him more than some of the other guys currently playing.

Nathan MacKinnon – D

That was not a standard Nathan MacKinnon game, as he looked rusty like a lot of the team. I don’t think he even attempted a shot until the second period, and Vegas deserves a lot of credit for shutting him and Rantanen down.

Jayson Megna – C

Completely fine, and nearly had a goal in the second period when he drew the penalty. I must admit I’m a little surprised he got the call in a game, but at this rate, I expect to see the Avs dress about 40 different players.

Valeri Nichushkin – C+

Really great suppression night from Nuke, but the offense is once again non-existent. At this point, considering the playoffs and the slow start to this year, don’t think it’s coming back.

Logan O’Connor – B-

Continue to just be impressed by O’Connor, who got the bump up to the third line. I think there’s a limit to how much you can play him because his game is built off speed and energy, but he’s been the best callup upfront by far to date.

Mikko Rantanen – D+

Like MacK, the rust was there, and in the third period he seemed to start shaking it off, but it was too late by then and Vegas had things pretty locked down.

Brandon Saad – D+

He took a bunch of shots, but most of them were blocked and the plays were kind of killed. That being said, I would like to see him play more with Mikko and MacK because the Avs will need some options down the stretch to check out some other combinations. It seemed like it could work based off Saad’s entire body of work.

Conor Timmins – D

He had a moment of greatness where he showed some composure with the puck right before Megna drew a penalty, but I didn’t like his game most of the night. Lots of panicked decisions with the puck. On the lone Vegas goal, they had an extended shift in the Avs zone to tire them out that happened because of a Timmins turnover where he passed it between his two teammates under pressure. He’s had a lot of chances due to the injuries this year but has yet to really take advantage of it and put together a string of good games.

Devon Toews – B

Nice to have Toews back in the lineup, especially after Makar was announced as out. He seemed to really crank things up in the third period with some nice rushes up the ice. Didn’t like him much on the power play, as he didn’t seem to want to shoot when he had a few chances.