Avs Game 25 Grades - A Win is A Win

The Avalanche were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.  It was not the prettiest win, and the game was relatively boring, but the Avs will take any win they can get at this point.

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

Tyson Barrie (B) – Barrie had a few “uh oh” moments tonight, including fumbling  a pass towards the end of the second period that gave the Devils a few great chances, but his smart decision to join the rush allowed him to score off a great feed from Jack Skille, in what ended up being the game winner.

Francois Beauchemin (B+) – The veteran defenseman got beat to the outside early in the game, but after that was solid, and even had a nice chance to score late in the first period.  He played almost 30 minutes due to the way the Avs were using their defensemen.

Reto Berra (A-) – I still don’t know what happened on the Devils goal, as the replay wasn’t clear if it hit one Avs player, two Avs players, or none at all.  Either way, it was a flutterball he’d probably want back, but he shut the door on every other shot, including a timely save right before Barrie’s game winner.

Blake Comeau (B) – Comeau played the way the Avs probably want him to play every night.  He created a few chances, was solid defensively, and was a pain in the butt to the other team.  His hit in the first period was not smart, but he was frustrating the Devils all night.

Matt Duchene (B+) – When did Duchene learn to shoot like that?  I’ve had complaints about his shot in the past but everything seems to be going in for him right now, and his release on his goal seemed to catch Schneider off guard a bit.  I thought that line had a bit of an off night, but his goal was huge.

Mikhail Grigorenko (B) – The offense hasn’t been there the last few games, but his defensive zone work is still very good, and that’s why the Devils only 5 shot attempts with him on the ice during nearly 13 minutes of even strength time.

Nate Guenin (C-) – Like I said earlier, I don’t know if the Devils goal hit him or not, but if he’s going to get in the way, he has to block it completely, just like Beauchemin last game.

Nick Holden (B) – Holden was solid tonight, outside of a few fumbles with the puck.  When he’s strong on the opposing players and strong on his stick, he can be effective defensively.

Jarome Iginla (C) – It’s not his fault the Avs have seemingly designed their power play around him getting a one timer off.  It shouldn’t be that way, at this point in his career.  At even strength, nothing really happened, as there were only 6 shot attempts total for either team with him on the ice tonight.

Erik Johnson (B+) – EJ played really well tonight, but there is no reason for him to be fighting a 4th line plug in Tootoo and putting himself in danger.  The Avs were without him for almost 10 minutes in the second period.

Gabriel Landeskog (C) – The top line did not have a great night offensively, but I still like the way Landy works defensively and there’s no better back checker on this team.

Nathan MacKinnon (C) – MacK was credited with 4 shots on goal, but the one he didn’t want to take late in the third period really bugged me.  He had a one on one with the Devils defender, and instead of taking it to the net or shooting, he curled back and nothing came of the play.  Those are the plays where you want to see him be selfish.

Andreas Martinsen (C) – It appears Roy really likes Martinsen’s game, but I don’t really see it, myself.  Granted, he’s playing far more than he should be, but his lack of speed and skill really stand out on the ice.  I’m assuming he’s the odd man out with Tanguay returning Thursday.

Cody McLeod (B) – McLeod and the 4th line were really solid tonight, and spent a good bit of their shifts in the offensive zone.  That’s what you dream of from your 4th line.

John Mitchell (B-) – He looked a bit rusty, which is to be expected.  I don’t really like him on a line with Soderberg, and would love to see him and Grigorenko switch at some point in the near future.  He’s just a very useful depth player for this team, and his presence is obviously missed when he’s hurt.

Zach Redmond (INC) – Did he get sucked into a black hole during the last two periods?  He was out there celebrating with the team after the game, but he didn’t have a single shift after the first period.  He made some dumb mistakes in the first, which might be why, but going with 5 defenders on the second half of a back to back is a head scratcher.

Jack Skille (B+) – What a pass by Skille to Barrie for the game winner.  That’s a saucer pass almost all the way across the width of the ice, and that’s not easy to do.  He’s been a very valuable pickup for the Avs.

Carl Soderberg (B) – Only  Soderberg and Grigorenko were positive possession players for the Avs tonight, among their forward group.  With the top line stacked the way it is, that’s a very good thing to see.

Chris Wagner (B) – He won all three faceoffs he took tonight, and is starting to look a lot more comfortable out there.  He plays the game a lot like Dan Hinote.

The Avs continue their road trip when they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers Thursday night.  The game starts at 5 PM MST.