Avs-Predators Grades: So close

The Colorado Avalanche fell 4-3 in overtime to the Nashville Predators. Below are the player grades!

Tyson Barrie (B) – I thought Barrie was really solid in this game. He notched another assist on Rantanen’s goal and he continues to show well in huge minutes as he’s become the de facto number one defenseman in Erik Johnson’s absence.

Gabriel Bourque (C-) – Odd to me to have him on the ice when trying to solidify a lead but that’s the kind of trust he’s earned from Bednar. He’s been part of nothing positive at even strength for a few games now.

Blake Comeau (C-) – I really didn’t think Comeau was effective today. He wasn’t part of the Nieto goal to tie the game and he again went to the ‘Comeau Curl’ instead of centering the puck or just throwing it on the net. He made himself too easy to defend with the puck today.

J.T. Compher (C) – Compher hasn’t played well today but I liked his effort today. He went all out and he made a nice play without his stick to move the puck out of the defensive zone. He got beat up a bit at even strength but was also used in defensive situations.

Samuel Girard (C+) – He didn’t play a ton and he wasn’t as effective moving the puck as he normally is. Defensively, he continues to be steady and reliable and on the right side of shot metrics.

Tyson Jost (C) – Another quiet game. It seems MacKinnon’s return has almost come at the expense of Jost’s success. He needs to continue finding his way as a second/third line center.

Alexander Kerfoot (C) – Same as Jost. His points have really off lately. He and Jost don’t seem to have a ton of chemistry right now.

Gabriel Landeskog (C+) – He was a stat-stuffer tonight but not all of it was good. He took two penalties, delivered four hits, and went 7-5 on faceoffs. He’s a do-everything guy for the Avs and he definitely lived up to that role today.

Anton Lindholm (C) – Lindholm was okay today, his highlight coming with his assist on the Zadorov goal. He uses his stick effectively on defense to break plays up and he was physical with four hits.

Nathan MacKinnon (B-) – Only one point today but it was a big one as he hit Rantanen for the go-ahead goal in the third. He put another eight shots on goal but also won three of just 14 faceoffs he took. Yikes.

Patrik Nemeth (B-) – Bednar seems to have found a nice role for Nemeth where he’s not an even strength minute-muncher but he plays a ton on the PK. He had a strong game on both ends as he activated some offense but also blocked four shots on defense.

Matt Nieto (C+) – Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Nieto will take the gift of the goal today.

Mikko Rantanen (B) – I thought Rantanen played very well today. This would have absolutely been higher had he not missed an open net that would have put Colorado ahead 2-1. He was rock solid today.

Duncan Siemens (D) – These are the types of efforts that open the door for a guy like Mark Alt to take his place. His turnover helped create the first goal against and he continued to struggle with the puck throughout the day.

Carl Soderberg (B) – Big Carl was really good again today. A great read helped him draw the penalty that resulted in Rantanen’s goal. He was solid in the faceoff circle and his board work on the Zadorov goal was immaculate. He wants it.

Dominic Toninato (D) – Like Bourque, his spot in the lineup is likely solidified more due to injury issues than positive play. This was another poor performance at a time he needs to be showing up big. When Colorado gets a little healthier at forward, he may be odd-man out.

Semyon Varlamov (F) – What in the world was that??

Nikita Zadorov (B) – Zadorov played some great hockey…when he wasn’t taking silly penalties. Colorado was fortunate to kill off both power plays and his goal came right after he left the box after his first penalty. A great goal and he contributed a bunch today. One goal, two shots, three hits, four blocked shots, and a scoring chance in overtime? Pretty good day for the big man. Those penalties could have been killer though.

Nail Yakupov (C+) – He didn’t play very much but he played hard, per usual, and was active in shooting and creating offense early. His reticence to shoot on one play, in particular, was disappointing but I thought Yakupov did well for himself in his return to the lineup.