Avs Game 4 Preseason Grades: Pray for Frankie

Jack Johnson – D

Well we’re starting to see the cracks in his game that have plagued him his entire career. Poor decisions with the puck and just getting lost in his own end on cycle. On the fourth Vegas goal, he was with Karlsson, and then suddenly lost him and was covering no one, and Karlsson ended up scoring.

Dylan Sikura – D

The fourth line had some moments, a lot of which came from Maltsev’s stick, and Sikura has skill but has had a tough time in the defensive zone, and had a pretty brutal turnover leaving the zone in the first.

Roland McKeown – F

Was interested in seeing him play in a game, but think I’ve seen enough. Not a great skater for his size and didn’t really move the puck all that well. He had the right idea on the Knights goal that he tried to clear into the corner but things got messy with Johansson’s stick.

Mikhail Maltsev – B

Easily the best of the fringe guys, getting chances at both even strength and on the penalty kill. His strong work on the penalty kill and in the face-off circle may cement his spot as the fourth line center on the team.

Jayson Megna – D

There wasn’t a whole lot of puck distribution from Megna tonight. Seemed like he was really trying to hold onto the puck to look good, and a lot of times it just didn’t work. In the second, he had a guy cutting to the net, but went between his own legs, cut back, and turned it over. Then on the final powerplay of the game, he made a soft play and took a penalty.

Valeri Nichuhskin – B

Val was Val. A small scare in the second when he missed some shifts after a shot off his leg, but he was fine.

Shane Bowers – D

Just not enough in this game to make a big impression in a good way. Had a nice back check in the second and then sprung Megna for a break, but beyond that, didn’t do a whole lot.

Stefan Matteau – D

Lots of decent board work from him but didn’t seem to provide a whole lot of offense and his skating stood out in not a great way.

Ryan Murray – C-

Murray struggled in the first period especially, as there seemed to be little chemistry between he and Barron, but as the game went on seemed to pick it up. He was skating with the puck more in the second half, and even though he won’t be asked to do that in Colorado, it’s nice to see he’s got that in him a bit.

Nathan MacKinnon – C

Nate didn’t look terribly interested in this game, and that’s fine. Not a whole lot for him to do other than get some games in and not get injured. He did still showcase the speed a few times, even at 75%.

Kiefer Sherwood – D

Only time he was noticeable was some poor passes. Haven’t been a huge fan of his even strength game through his preseason games. Last year he was good in spurts, so you know he’ll get more chances this year.

Dennis Gilbert – C-

Gilbert knows what he’s here for, as he is losing his mind on anyone who even looks at his goalie. I guess that’s one way to get noticed. Nice pass on the Rantanen goal late for the deflection, but his first period was pretty ugly.

Kurtis MacDermid – D

I don’t get it. Tons of passes in forwards feet, fumbling the puck all over, and just general roaming in the defensive zone. This pickup goes against everything the Avs have done in the last few years, and I just don’t see what they see in putting him on defense.

Justin Barron – D

Seemed to get some confidence in the third period, but it was an ugly night overall, and a lot of it came with the puck, as his breakouts were not clean and he was getting pressured a good bit in the defensive zone, causing turnovers. Preseason is all about getting a gauge of where his game is and tonight showed there’s still work to be done.

Sampo Ranta – D

Won’t get a bigger chance than playing with MacKinnon and Rantanen, and he didn’t show much there. Had a few moments in the second half of the game, but was a complete non-factor most of the night.

Nazem Kadri – B

Liked a lot of what Kadri did offensively, and that line was their most consistently effective in terms of shot share. He’s had a good start to the preseason in what will be a massive season for him.

Andre Burakovsky – A

Burky can still shoot, and if you give him about 1/2 of the net to shoot at like Thompson did on his first shot, then he’ll score every time.

Mikko Rantanen – A

Mikko was actually throwing his body around a bit in the third, which was nice to see but also makes you nervous. Beyond that, two goals in his first game action of the year and you start to really wonder if 50 is possible.

Pavel Francouz – B

He was starting to really crank it up, making a handful of breakaway saves in the second period due to sloppy defensive work, but then the injury hit. His health is essential to the team, so hopefully it’s just minor.

Jonas Johansson – F

This preseason isn’t inspiring a whole lot of confidence in JJ. Some ugly goals in his first game, and did not look good tonight. If Frankie is down for a while, he’s the backup, so needs to be better.