Avs Game 37 Grades - Soderberg's Best Game Yet

The Avalanche struggled at even strength, but were dominant on the power play, scoring 4 goals with the man advantage on their way to a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

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

Tyson Barrie (D) – Was not a fan of his game tonight.  He looked tired, and wasn’t moving his feet a whole lot.  When he’s not moving his feet, he gets himself in trouble at both ends of the ice.

Francois Beauchemin (D) – His power play work keeps him from getting an F, because he was awful at even strength.  He got crushed possession wise (11%) and was making a lot mistakes with the puck.  He iced the puck a few times, and made turnovers from just being exhausted.  The Avs are really pushing their luck with his minutes, as he, once again, led the Avs in ice time.

Blake Comeau (B) – Comeau worked really hard tonight, and was rewarded with the game winner.  He really hasn’t been shooting the puck much, but started putting more pucks towards the net in the third.

Matt Duchene (B) – Duchene was having to do a lot of the work on his line, and overpowered a few Sharks defenders in the offensive zone tonight.  His goal, while a bit lucky, was much deserved.

Brandon Gormley (B+) – Gormley played really well, outside of one mistake in the second that led to a mini break.  He did a great job holding the puck in the zone twice prior to Duchene’s goal, and took some hits in the third period to make the right play.  Roy needs to trust him with more minutes.

Mikhail Grigorenko (C-) – His line was good in the first, but struggled the rest of the night.  He lost a few battles defensively, and had a rough night in the faceoff circle.

Nick Holden (C) – He was good in the first, then awful in the second period with turnovers and mistakes with the puck, but turned it around in the third to finish strong.

Jarome Iginla (B-) – He’s looked significantly better with limited minutes.  Hopefully Roy realizes that’s a big reason for his improved play.

Erik Johnson (B+) – EJ was definitely the best Avs defender tonight, and the only one in the top 4 who didn’t look exhausted.  There was a scare in the second period when he blocked a shot with his arm, but he ended up being fine.

Gabriel Landeskog (C+) – There was a huge scare when he took a slapshot to the face in the second period, but he came back in the third.  He didn’t do much offensively, but made a lot of smart defensive plays with his stick.

Nathan MacKinnon (A) – He scored a hat trick tonight, but he wasn’t the best player on the Avs tonight.  It was nice to see him get back on the scoring sheet, and he needs to be kept on the left side on the power play.

Andreas Martinsen (C) – He wasn’t as noticeable physically tonight, but made some nice plays with the puck and was good on the shift that led to Duchene’s goal.

Cody McLeod (D) – I don’t understand how such a strong guy struggles to get the puck out in the defensive zone so much.  It wasn’t his best night this evening.

John Mitchell (C-) – I really don’t know what he was doing on the Sharks second goal.  He, along with Barrie, was covering no one.  His only really good moment came on the shift that led to the Duchene goal.

Calvin Pickard (B+) – That third goal was a real stinker, but he also was tremendous most of the night, particularly on the PK in the second period.

Zach Redmond (B+) – The third pairing was strong tonight.  They led the Avs in terms of possession, and Redmond was moving the puck well.

Jack Skille (D-) – He had a really rough night, including a turnover that led to the Sharks first goal, and a few missed clearing attempts before the Sharks second goal.

Carl Soderberg (A+) – Probably his best game in an Avs uniform, and he was fantastic all night.  I’m really interested in seeing what he can do with Landeskog, as he really hasn’t been given the best wingers this year, but is still producing.  Those passes he made to MacKinnon were tremendous.

Alex Tanguay (C+) – He was pretty average at even strength, but did do a decent job on the p0wer play.  Like Iginla, the limited minutes are helping Tanguay.

The Avs face off against the Chicago Blackhawks on New Years Eve.  The game starts at 6 PM MST.