Avs Game 40 Grades - There are 42 more of these?!?

The Avalanche reached their goal scoring quota midway through the first, and didn’t have many dangerous chances beyond that, on their way to a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

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

Tyson Barrie (C) – He was OK, and the Avs can only win when he plays really good, the way they’re built right now.

Francois Beauchemin (F) – Did you miss him?  I certainly didn’t last game, and on his second shift of the game, he cost the Avs, with a poor decision that led to his shot getting blocked, a 2 on 1 the other way, and an eventual goal.  He also iced the puck at least 5 times tonight.

Rene Bourque (D) – Watching this guy try to clear the puck in the defensive zone is very painful.  The effort is there, but he’s just not a good player.  If someone seriously wants this guy for their playoff run, they can have him.

Blake Comeau (F) – What a disastrous game for him.  He iced the puck at least twice tonight, and didn’t connect on a single pass.  He looked checked out.

Matt Duchene (D) – Have several knee injuries finally taken their toll on his skating ability?  His burst seems to be missing this year.  There were a few times that he tried to go around Ducks defenders but was easily stopped.  He did great in the faceoff circle, though, which means almost nothing.

Cody Goloubef (C) – He didn’t make a fool out of himself tonight, so that’s good.  He’s not a bad skater when he gets a good head of steam going, but his acceleration is not great.

Mikhail Grigorenko (D) – I really didn’t notice him, other than his penalty early in the game.  That’s unfortunately been the case too much this year.

Jarome Iginla (D) – Did any of those scouts in the crowd see anything they liked at all tonight?  I saw him get in the way of Soderberg while he was doing good work behind the net in the 3rd, and cause Soderberg to lose the puck.  He also fumbled an easy play on the power play, and caused the puck to come out of the zone.

Gabriel Landeskog (B-) – He had the best possession numbers on the team, but passed up a great shooting chance in the 2nd period on a nice 3 on 2.  They moved him to Duchene’s line in the 3rd for a bit.  I believe he had 6 shot attempts at even strength tonight, but could have had more.

Nathan MacKinnon (B) – That goal was really something, and it looked like he hit the post in the 3rd in the Avs only real chance to score.

Andreas Martinsen (D) – He did find his way back into the lineup, but not much came of it.  He tried to throw a big hit in the 2nd but both players went tumbling, so not sure who got the worst of it.

Cody McLeod (C) – He punched some guy named Cramarossa in the face a few times in the 2nd.  The Avs just kind of kept playing the same way after, which is what usually happens.

Matt Nieto (D) – He ascended to the top 6 after one good game.  That’s how bad this team is.  He looked pretty out of place there, and had a terrible icing in the first period.

Mikko Rantanen (B-) – I’ve noticed his lack of balance seems to be getting a little better as the year goes on.  The top line was the only consistent threat for the Avs all night, and he played a solid game.

Carl Soderberg (B) – That was Soderberg’s best game in a long time.  He drew two penalties, and was putting pucks towards the net.  Bednar should have taken advantage and put him with more skilled players…but no.

Semyon Varlamov (D) – The first real shot of the game he faced went in.  Yeah it was a 2 on 1, but getting beat short side is not ideal.  The third goal was just bizarre, and he just straight up lost it after a nice wraparound stop.

Patrick Wiercioch (C) – He was unable to move his man away from Varly on the second goal of the game, but was solid otherwise.  Had the best possession numbers of all the D.

Fedor Tyutin (F) – What a mess of a game for him, and he barely played in the 2nd and 3rd.  A ton of giveaways from him, especially in the first period, that resulted in extended zone time for the Ducks.

Nikita Zadorov (C) – A very average game from Z overall.  He did some good things and some bad things.  His play with the puck has dipped down a bit, but made a real nice breakout play in the 2nd, where he smoked the forechecker and then hit MacK for a 3 on 2 rush.

The Avalanche continue their home stand on Saturday when they take on the Nashville Predators.  The game starts at 1 PM MST.