Avalanche Game 1 Grades: Same old sad song in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Well, that was a very winnable game that the Avalanche let get away in Game 1 in San Jose. Let’s get to the grades. This won’t be too pretty for some:

Alexander Kerfoot (D) – Six games now in the postseason for No. 13, one point (assist). Jared Bednar might have to ponder whether he stays up with MacKinnon and Landeskog for Game 2. The Sharks are a tough matchup for the Avs, size-wise, particularly when finesse guys like Kerfoot are getting top-3 minutes.

Nathan MacKinnon (C) – He just wasn’t able to play his game in this one. The Sharks did a good job of taking away his time and space for the most part. He was too pass-happy on the power play at times I thought. Not a horrible game, but like a lot of Avs, he was just kind of running around out there too much.

Gabe Landeskog (D) – Probably his worst game of an otherwise strong postseason. He didn’t seem to have a good handle on the puck, and he was a little slow looking with the puck. He was a little tardy in the defensive zone as the third man high at times, too.

Mikko Rantanen (C+) – Made a very nice lead pass for Colin Wilson to tip home for the Avs’ second goal. Unfortunately for No. 96, that was as good as it would get. He was made to look bad on Kevin Labanc’s pretty goal that made it 3-2.

Colin Wilson (B) – Great tip goal that temporarily gave the Avs that 2-1 lead in the second. That was his third goal in the last two playoff games. I thought he was one the Avs’ best forwards when it came to fighting for the puck. Too many other guys just kind of put in token efforts in that department.

Carl Soderberg (C) – It just hasn’t been a great postseason so far for Carl. He nearly scored in the first period, but failed to lift the puck over Martin Jones’ right pad. He had a pretty good night in the faceoff circle, but his offensive game has been lacking. Just one point in the playoffs so far.

J.T. Compher (C-) – Didn’t love his game tonight. He drew a four-minute penalty in the second, but like the rest of the team, he was part of a bad PP crew that fired the Sharks’ crowd up with their inefficient play. That failed four minutes swung the game in San Jose’s favor, I thought.

Matt Nieto (D) – Like the rest of his third line teammates, he was outplayed by the Sharks’ bigger third line. His Corsi for in the first two periods was 3. Against, it was 12.

Matt Calvert (D) – Pretty much the same kind of game as Nieto. He was chasing the puck a lot tonight, possessing it very infrequently. I think he’ll bounce back in Game 2. He’s a tough veteran who will adjust.

Gabriel Bourque (B+) – Scored a nice goal in the opening minutes and was one of the hardest-working Avs out there up front. That’s Bourque’s third goal in his Avs playoff career.

Derick Brassard (C-) – Just not very noticeable out there, but he was playing on the fourth line and it’s not easy to shine in that role. Seemed a little rusty with his timing, having not playing since Game 1 of the last round.

Tyson Jost (B-) – I thought he skated pretty well and did some nice things, and he did get his first point of the playoffs with a first-period assist. We may see him get a bit more ice time, if guys like Compher and Soderberg struggle again offensively.

Erik Johnson (F) – Just a bad, bad game. That shot attempt, leading to the block by Marcus Sorensen and subsequent 2-on-1 goal by Joe Thornton, was a turning point in the game. He just didn’t seem too engaged out there at times, especially coming back on that Thornton goal.

Sam Girard (F) – The rust was thick. He made several really bad plays, mishandled the puck a lot and just was generally awful. Jared Bednar had to play him. He played all 82 regular-season games and is a quality kid. But he obviously wasn’t on his game in this one.

Tyson Barrie (C) – The effort was there, but he just couldn’t put any points on the board, despite several chances. He held on to the puck too long on a 2-on-1 sequence with MacKinnon in the third period that, had he gotten the puck over to MacK, stood a good chance of getting the Avs back to within a goal.

Ian Cole (C-) – Not the greatest puck-possession numbers in this one, a couple turnovers too. He wasn’t awful, but like much of the Avs team overall, just wasn’t sharp enough.

Cale Makar (A-) – I thought he was really excellent at times and would have liked to see him play a bit more. He did most of the work on the Avs’ first goal and was great getting the puck out of trouble a few times.

Nikita Zadorov (B) – Had a pretty solid game, numbers-wise. I’d have liked to have seen him be a bit more physical, but he has to be cognizant of being called for cheap penalties if he does. It’s a fine line.

Philipp Grubauer (C-) – Well, he was due for a bit of a tough one probably. He made some quality saves in this one, but those third and fourth Sharks goals were tough ones to give up, especially that fourth one. It wasn’t his fault overall, but he needs to be better in Game 2.