Avs Game 57 Grades: Royal problem

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B-

Solid throughout, I didn’t really have any complaints from Bellemare. He won his share of faceoffs (63%), had a shot on goal (more than one would be nice) and was positive in pretty much all of the shot metrics you care about. He was fine.

Andre Burakovsky – C-

I didn’t notice him a lot offensively and felt he got exposed a few times defensively. Mostly, his game for me was defined by the interference penalty he was called for as the Avs got their second PP chance of the night and it lasted just 17 seconds. You can make an argument it was a weak call, especially because teams do exactly what Burakovsky did on almost every single zone-entry attempt on the PK. Defenders regularly run into and hold offensive players but apparently Burakovsky holding his ground was a no go. Either way you interpret it, he did it and was called for it and he didn’t do anything else to make up for it.

Matt Calvert – C-

Calvert actually played really well in a game where few of his teammates seemed to. I was a fan of a lot of what he did but in a low-scoring game, you have to capitalize when you’re sprung for a breakaway. He got enough distance from the defense to have a clean look at the net and he just didn’t get it done. It’s two games in a row where the Avs needed something and Calvert couldn’t convert on a breakaway. To make matters worse, he suffered a lower-body injury and could miss some time.

Ian Cole – C-

Complicated game for Cole to grade here. In terms of what he actually did on the ice, he was pretty solid once again and certainly the better of a pairing that struggled more than we’ve seen in a while. He made a very good pass through the middle of the ice to spring Calvert for a breakaway. But this grade is also considering that Cole plowed over Grubauer, injuring him and removing him from this game and potentially more. It’s obviously not something he purposely did but the ramifications of that collision could have a major impact.

J.T. Compher – D

The on-ice shot metrics are solid but his individual contributions to those were very limited offensively. He only attempted two shots, one on goal and was the only Av to be below 50% in the faceoff circle. That’s notable because he lost the faceoff that led directly to the game-winning goal. His 33% was a mess and it’s his second consecutive game as 2C where he looked pretty seriously overmatched.

Joonas Donskoi – C

Have to say I find myself frustrated with Donskoi’s play since the return from the break. Tonight was more of that as he consistently is keeping play wide along the boards instead of forcing the action back inside. I can’t help but wonder if the shots to his head he’s taken this year have made him just a touch apprehensive to be the guy who goes to the middle of the ice like he was when he was scoring in bunches (albeit next to Nathan MacKinnon instead of J.T. Compher). There were some nice moments with the puck but it feels like something is missing for a player with so much raw ability.

Pavel Francouz – C+

I felt compelled to grade Francouz since he’s the goaltender of record but 16 minutes of play is a hard grade. He was involved in a couple of mad scrambles where he kept his cool and kept the puck out but the game-winning goal that beat him felt a little on the weak side. He was screened by a moving Girard and that certainly made life tougher.

Samuel Girard – B-

The goal was great. He was aggressive offensively and kept firing away. He drove offense and was part of a major shot on goal differential that favored Colorado. Lots of good from G tonight. But that moving screen caused Francouz just enough of a problem and he was responsible for the icing that created the defensive zone faceoff in the first place. A good overall game betrayed by critical mistakes right at the end.

Ryan Graves – B-

I just didn’t notice Graves a whole lot in this one. The few times I did see him was when he had the puck and was under some kind of forecheck pressure. He consistently handled it well and made sound decisions to get out of trouble. This is the solid version of Graves I would be plenty

Philipp Grubauer – B+

I felt Grubauer was locked in and continuing his very strong play we’ve seen the last two weeks. The one goal he gave up was tipped, hit the inside of the post, and bounced directly to a Kings player. That’s incredibly bad luck involved in that is frustrating because Grubauer is otherwise playing well. And then the bad luck in getting trucked over and injured by a teammate? Goodness, what a frustrating year this has become for Grubi. Hopefully, it’s a short-term injury.

Erik Johnson – B

There’s a decent chance I missed stuff because we were sitting on the moon for this game with no replay in the press box but I thought Johnson was arguably Colorado’s most consistent defender tonight. His activation on offense was aggressive and well-timed, even if he didn’t breakthrough Quick’s forcefield.

Vladislav Kamenev – C

I can’t say I can recall a single Kamenev moment. The numbers don’t give him a push either way so I’m going completely neutral here.

Tyson Jost – C

Same as Kamenev, I just didn’t notice Jost in this one. He ended up with two shots and two hits, though, so that’s something I guess.

Gabriel Landeskog – C-

Shot metrics are good and I thought he was pretty positively involved for much of the game but the penalty he took three seconds into Colorado’s first power play is a mess. Again, it was a disputable call but Landeskog put himself in that spot to get called and they did. What could’ve been.

Nathan MacKinnon – B-

His line continues to struggle with the defensive aspects of the game but MacKinnon was on fire early and helped create several scoring chances. He finished with five shots on goal as he tried Quick from spots all over the zone but couldn’t beat him. I’d like to see him be more decisive with his approach on that soft wrister from the point that resulted in several goals early in the season. If he’s trying to get it tipped, maybe keep the puck down a bit. If he’s trying for the top corner, wait for an actual screen to be in place because the shot is too soft to reliably beat an NHL goalie.

Cale Makar – B

I liked him offensively and defensively and he made some poor Kings player look bad in dismissing him at the blue line late in the second period before ringing another puck off a post. He has more posts than goals now and given his ability in that aspect, that’s awfully impressive. So close to another big-time highlight.B

Valeri Nichushkin – B

In a game where the Kings want to play heavier and muck it up, I wouldn’t have hated seeing Nichushkin get the role Donskoi played. Nichushkin has been one of Colorado’s more consistently good players recently. Lean on him!

Matt Nieto – C

The only Matt Nieto shift I remember came when he tried the one move he seems to have to create separation between him and defenders. It didn’t work, the puck got swatted away, and that was that. Safe to say the fourth line was pretty quiet in this one.

Mikko Rantanen – C+

I liked Rantanen early on when he was on fire. He cooled as the night air did and eventually disappeared as the game wore on. He snagged an assist on Girard’s goal but he could’ve had more given the hot start.

Nikita Zadorov – D

Lots of frustration with Zadorov’s play tonight. Decisions with the puck have not been good recently and tonight was another example of his issues in that area. His struggles clearing the puck helped create the first Kings goal. It was a really big mess.