LAS VEGAS – The Colorado Avalanche finished up their three-game set at this year’s rookie showcase with a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Following disappointing losses on Friday and Saturday, this was the team’s final opportunity to snag a win before the conclusion of the event.

Petr Kvaca started in net and rebounded from a difficult showing against Vegas on Friday night with a 33-save performance. Brandon Saigeon tacked on two goals in the third period to push his weekend total to five over the three games.

It was another feisty game as the teams didn’t share much love for one another and the physicality ramped up quickly. There were certainly more penalties than the teams wanted but it gave them an extended look at which players could do different things in a variety of situations.

Ultimately, the evaluation of the process is what Colorado came here for and assistant general manager Craig Billington made it clear after all was said and done he felt they accomplished that goal.

Below are my observations of the third and final game of this year’s showcase.

Kvaca’s Redemption

Kvaca was a stud today after failing badly against Vegas. He gave up six goals in just over 30 minutes of play on Friday night but rebounded today with a 33-save performance on 36 shots against. Kvaca gave up a questionable first goal but otherwise locked it down and really had a nice game. He made one particularly impressive save going post-to-post and stuffing a cross-ice feed that looked like a surefire goal. After a tough couple days, it was easy to feel good for Kvaca after this one.

Saigeon keeps producing

Brandon Saigeon followed this three goals in the first two games by tacking on two more in the third period of today’s game. His goal rebound putaway made it 4-2 and proved to be the game-winning goal. He also added an empty-netter while short-handed that traveled about 180 feet.

Coming into this weekend without a contract, Saigeon’s performance forced it to be a talking point and while Billington gave me the standard “contracts aren’t my thing” response when asked, you have to assume what he did over this weekend was enough to earn a real deal here. He without a doubt looks ready for the AHL game and has earned the opportunity to prove it.

Just like Ty Lewis used a strong preseason to propel himself to an ELC last year, Saigeon should be on a similar path after such a productive weekend.

Kamenev, Kaut find footing

If you just looked at the box scores from the weekend, you’ll walk away seeing Kaut had a goal in two games and Kamenev produced a goal and two assists in two games. It would be easy to see that and think both players were just fine but disappointing first games for each player necessitated better days today.

It was a slow start for both guys but they ultimately worked their way into having pretty solid games. Kamenev scored on a sweet breakaway move and he assisted on Kaut’s empty-net goal in the dying moments of the game. Beyond the scoring plays, however, both players made good plays in both the offensive and defensive zones and looked significantly more comfortable overall.

Two defenseman trending in opposite directions

I’ve tried to use this space over the weekend to highlight players whose games were ascending and keep it mostly positive. Tearing guys down over lackluster pre-preseason games is almost always unproductive and an overreaction to meaningless games. That said, there were two defensemen who played in every game who really stood out in different ways.

Sergei Boikov continued to look solid in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him all of last season. He tends to chase big hits to his detriment but that could be a product of trying to do a little too much after a long time away from the game. His puck movement throughout the weekend was notable and he sprung Kamenev for a breakaway with a great stretch pass today. With so many forgettable performances from the blueline, it was nice to see Boikov shine just a bit.

Josh Anderson, however, seemed to continue his struggles. He’s a throwback defensive defenseman and I’ve tried to keep an open mind on him as a prospect. After watching him get entirely too preoccupied with the physical shenanigans in the Anaheim game and his repeated struggles with puck protection and sharp decision-making under pressure, it sure feels like this is just a whiff by the Avalanche.

It’s too early to truly write him off as a meaningful prospect, especially in reaction to some rookie showcase games, but it feels like he’s trending down pretty hard right now. He simply looked uncomfortable anytime he had the puck and there were far too many predictable turnovers in the same situations for me to be convinced it was an anomaly.

In an organization where the NHL defense is largely set and the AHL defense has experienced a major influx of talent the last two years, Anderson could easily get lost in that shuffle. It would not be a surprise to see him start his first pro season with the Utah Grizzlies.

Mercurial Merkley

This isn’t an Avalanche note as much as one about a player whom I was very curious to watch live. Ryan Merkley’s draft season was an interesting one as it was widely agreed upon he possesses special talent but the mental side of the side was actively holding him back. That roller coaster of maturity was on full display here as opposing players targeted him during his three games here and picked at him repeatedly.

Strictly in the game against Colorado, there were typical flashes of brilliance as he showed off some very impressive puck skills but combined it with laziness in getting back to defend his position and a general lack of awareness of what was going on around him. At one point, a puck landed right at his feet while he was crashing the Avalanche net but he appeared so unengaged with the proceedings the puck bounced away harmlessly instead of turning into the goal it probably should have been. It was fun to watch him play when he was carrying the puck but the red flags people talked about leading up to the draft were also very present.