Avs-Capitals player grades: Another overtime loss

Player grades for the Colorado Avalanche’s 3-2 overtime loss against the Washington Capitals.

Sven Andrighetto (C-) –Not much happened here in Andrighetto’s return. He was on the fourth line but both of his linemates had more notable contributions than he did tonight.

Mark Barberio (C-) – There was a blind turnover in the first period but beyond that there wasn’t a lot either way from Barberio’s game. Neither team really had a major advantage when Barberio was on the ice, which you’ll take from a third pairing most nights.

Tyson Barrie (C+) – He snagged an assist on the opening goal of the game but it looked more like he missed the puck and nicked it instead of actually moving it along to Jost so he doesn’t get too much credit for that. He was really good early before tailing off as the game progressed.

Gabriel Bourque (C+) – One of the few games I really didn’t have any issue with Bourque. He was effective on the PK and that was his primary contribution.

Matt Calvert (C+) – He’s being wildly overplayed at even strength but he did okay tonight in the role. Shot metrics were all solid and he notched an assist off his back. The biggest problem with Calvert (that he plays too much) is a coaching issue, not a player problem. If everyone matched Calvert’s energy and effort, the coaching crutch he’s developing into wouldn’t exist.

Ian Cole (B+) – Got the assist on the game-tying goal for the Avalanche and was dominant in shot metrics tonight…but was also called for a very questionable penalty with a minute remaining in regulation. Tough call against Cole to put a damper on an otherwise very solid performance.

Sheldon Dries (C) – He played! I noticed a couple little things on defense that I liked but overall he was not an impact player tonight.

Samuel Girard (C-) – I really felt he played pretty poorly tonight. His play with the puck was straight up not good and while it was nice to see him trying to shoot, he wasn’t able to get any pucks through traffic, which has turned into an issue. It was the rare night where Sammy G was just a little out of sync and the difference was quite noticeable.

Philipp Grubauer (B+) – I’m not sure how anyone can really hold any of the three goals against him. A great passing play resulting in an open net, a world-class shot from one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, and an uncontested shot with no defensemen nearby placed perfectly. It was a good rebound performance for Grubauer after the fiasco in Vancouver.

Erik Johnson (C+) – I liked his game more than Girard’s but felt both were a little lacking in overall impact. Johnson’s advantage was he was not quite as mistake-prone as Girard was tonight.

Tyson Jost (B) – Made a great individual play on Soderberg’s goal and was solid throughout the game in helping create offense for that line. He’s playing very well right now.

Vladislav Kamenev (B) – I thought he was one of Colorado’s better players shift-to-shift tonight. He was good on the PK and he sparked several defensive zone breakouts with both his feet and passing. This was the kind of night that should earn him more playing time real soon.

Alexander Kerfoot (B) – He’s been an animal on faceoffs ever since he got moved back to center and won 10 of 13 tonight. His play overall was rock solid and his line hummed along nicely. I have no idea why they didn’t play more, especially in a game where they needed just a bit more offense.

Gabriel Landeskog (C) – I thought he was very sloppy with the puck and looked totally out of sorts overall. He had a glorious scoring chance in the first period that got stopped and would come back to haunt the Avs later in a game they lost by one.

Nathan MacKinnon (C) – There were some great chances, including a completely free breakaway in the first period that ended with him shooting it right into Copley’s glove, but many defensive lapses to go with it. It’s downright weird to see these guys kept off the scoresheet these days.

Patrik Nemeth (C-) – He came back into the lineup and may not stay in there long. His puck management left a whole lot to be desired tonight and the Caps didn’t seem to mind when he was out there.

Mikko Rantanen (C+) – I thought he was the best player on a top line that didn’t finish anything all night. He helped create some chances but his best play to my eye was in the dirty areas where he consistently won puck battles. He’s turning into a dominant player in those areas.

Carl Soderberg (B-) – Great shot on the goal but he had two separate two on one’s tonight and neither resulted in even a shot on goal. He was pretty solid overall yet again.

Colin Wilson (B-) – Made a sloppy play in the offensive zone and turned the puck over on what turned out to be the game-winning goal by Ovechkin. Of course, he made an awesome play batting the puck out of the air to tie the game and get the Avalanche a point.