Avs Game 4 Grades: Perfect Homestand

A relatively tame game through two periods took off in the third, with the Avs and Coyotes combining for four goals in the final 20, forcing the game to overtime, where Andre Burakovsky would end it with a beautiful shot. With the 3-2 victory, the Avs start the season 4-0 as they head onto a season-long road trip.

How did each player perform? Let’s find out…

Erik Johnson – B

The other half of the best pairing for the Avs tonight, EJ was steady tonight, not doing anything spectacular but being the perfect partner for Girard, for the most part. Took a penalty early but settled down after that. Led the defense with four shot attempts at even strength.

Cale Makar – B+

Is everyone ready for some fun? Makar had his best game with the puck but also a bit of a wild man defensively. His skill level is off the charts. Big fan of him shooting the puck a lot more, as it keeps teams honest, and created a goal tonight. The physical play may surprise some, but not anyone who watched him play in the NCAA.

Matt Calvert – D

The fourth line was basically non-existent tonight, which happens to most fourth lines. But the good news is the penalty kill came up big tonight, something the team needed. The Avs were +2/-8 in shot attempts with Calvert out there, so a lot of time in their own end.

Valeri Nichushkin – D

Another tough outing for the Big Russian. He has a combined one shot attempt in the last two games, and saw his ice time drop dramatically tonight. He looked to be in some pain on the bench a few times, something to keep an eye on.

Nikita Zadorov – D

Really didn’t like Z’s game for the most part tonight. Thought he showed some jump in the third but also got caught running around on the Coyotes first goal. His physical play jumped up tonight, however.

Tyson Jost – B+

Outside of his face-off struggles, it’s clear he’s a center and Bednar indicated as much after the game. Led the team with four shot attempts at even strength, and did it in only 9:32. Big first goal of the year for him.

Colin Wilson – D

Got bumped up to the second line late in the game, but took a clear step back from the other night. Had a rush in the second where he led a four on two, and some slow decision making put the play offsides. No shot attempts for him tonight.

Ryan Graves – B-

He is a tough cookie to figure out. Made some great plays at the offensive blue line to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone, but also some giveaways in his own end. Played his best game on the PK this year.

Nathan MacKinnon – C-

He still looks off, and the Coyotes defended him well tonight. Attempted only two shots at even strength on the evening, which is very low for him. Looked visibly frustrated at times, and yet, he still has 6 points on the year. Guys that handle the puck a lot tend to be credited with more giveaways than others, but he was given four by the scorekeeper tonight.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – D

Bellemare was not on the ice for a single shot attempt at even strength towards the Coyotes net. Brought in partly because he’s great in the face-off circle, he struggled again tonight, winning only 38% of his draws.

Mark Barberio – D

Barberio had the shift from hell in the second period, where he tripped over the blueline and then had to deal with a skate issue for the rest of the shift, limiting his mobility. I think he was stuck out there for almost four minutes and a lot of attempts against. Nothing went in, but that shift was a good chunk of his night.

Samuel Girard – B

It’s clear he’s become the “go to” guy on the blueline for the staff, as they are sending him out there a lot to calm things down. He had a tough first, with a few rough giveaways in his own end and passing up shots in the offensive end. After that, he was terrific and played keep away just long enough for the Avs to create the game-winning goal. Best CF on the defense tonight at 57%.

Joonas Donskoi – C+

Donskoi is a master at generating offense, but again, he needs to shoot a lot more. He was credited with zero shot attempts on the evening, despite having the puck a lot on his stick. He did have the best possession numbers on the team, even without putting anything towards the net himself.

Matt Nieto – B+

If there’s an unsung hero on this team right now, it’s him. Just quietly goes about his business. Made a great play on the penalty kill in the third period to stop a good chance and clear it, and then tied up the Coyotes player to give Makar time to walk in and create a good chance on the Jost goal.

Nazem Kadri – B-

You could kind of see the weight of the world come off his shoulders after his goal (which I called, somehow). He was an absolute monster in the face-off circle yet again, winning 15 of his 22 face-offs on the evening. At some point, they will have to find him some consistent linemates.

Gabriel Landeskog – C

The top line, after opening night, has looked a little tame. They were on the ice for both of the Coyotes goals in the third period. Landy still does a lot defensively to carry that line and you could see it tonight.

Andre Burakovsky – B+

Four shots on goal, which led the team with #96, and a beautiful game-winner in overtime. He wanted a chance to play in the top six and he’s getting it. Through four games, the trade looks pretty good for the Avs.

Mikko Rantanen – B-

With Burakovsky, he tied the team lead with four shots on goal, and I’m not sure that includes his miss in front in the second period, where he whiffed on a pass from MacKinnon and appeared to hit the side of the net. Rantanen has not been good, historically, in OT, so him picking up an assist on the game-winner means only good things.

Pavel Francouz – B+

He said it after the game that, in hindsight, the early PK helped him get into the game. I wouldn’t say he faced a ton of “Grade A” scoring chances, but he played very well and has to give the coaching staff a lot of confidence moving forward when they need to give Grubauer a rest.