Avalanche Game 2 player grades: Dispatching Minnesota

Gabriel Landeskog – A

Landeskog is already on the familiar PPG pace he set last season. Tonight, he got the game-winner by standing backdoor and letting Rantanen find him with a great pass. That top line has picked up where it left off last year.

Nathan MacKinnon – A-

Kind of? MacKinnon had two assists but seemed a little more average than normal. He had three shots and three attempts blocked but was all over the place in drawing penalties. There’s another gear there and that has to scare everyone outside Colorado.

Mikko Rantanen – A+

If there’s another gear to this guy, he’s going to be in the Hart conversation. He’s off to an incredible start with another two points tonight. The play he made on his goal to start the scoring was nothing short of awesome.

Tyson Jost – C+

This was a complicated night for Jost. He took two penalties, the first a total brainfart and the second one of the weaker interference calls you’ll ever see. Also of note, however, is Jost drew two penalties as well. His play at 5v5 was solid but he also flubbed a couple of scoring chances. He is just one of four Avs not to register a point through the first two games.

Nazem Kadri – B-

This is another of the Avs who has yet to record a point. He wasn’t as dangerous tonight as against Calgary but I’m pumping the tires a bit because he excelled in some specialized usage. When he was brought in, it was for a lot of reasons but faceoff ability absolutely was on that list. He won 10, lost six in the dot tonight and was used in several defensive zone situations specifically for his ability in that area.

Joonas Donskoi – C+

I love how smart he is. He made several very good plays defensively tonight but his work on the PK really stood out to me. He was key in denying zone entries and killed a whole grip of time with a solo run down the ice with the puck. He wasn’t on the scoresheet tonight and wasn’t as offensively dangerous as the other day but his defensive effort really showed why he was such a solid addition.

Matt Nieto – C+

It was quiet but effective. That’s pretty normal for Nieto as he frequently has games like that. Great speed at 5v5 allowed him to negate an icing and he found himself in dangerous offensive situations. He showed his limitations there but it’s better to be in those spots than defending them.

J.T. Compher – C

I felt Compher was just okay tonight. Not as good defensively as the other night and looks very out of place trying to play the MacKinnon role on the PP. I’m not sure why the coaching staff is asking that of him but here we are. He has proven a capable shooter but his ability to distribute pucks and create offense for others was again lacking tonight.

Andre Burakovsky – B-

I again liked more of what Burakovsky brought to the table tonight. He was dangerous shooting and wasn’t shy about it on the second PP unit. That needs to be his MO. Despite not scoring any points tonight, I thought this was the kind of offensive effort they acquired him to see. Four shot attempts is a good start. Now to score!

Valeri Nichushkin – C+

It wasn’t nearly the performance from the first game but Nichushkin was still on the positive side of play tonight. He wasn’t as much of an impact guy but I don’t remember any negative plays from him and he snagged a second assist on Bellemare’s goal when he intercepted a clearing attempt and threw it back at the net. You’ll take this every night.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B+

After a great preseason, it was easy to expect a little too much of Bellemare in the regular season. His goal tonight was tons of effort and just good ol’ hard work from his line. The PK work is solid and the breakdowns have been more defensively than anything he’s done. My only knock is a minor disappointment in the faceoff department (six losses, seven wins) since that was a specific reason he was brought in.

Matt Calvert – B+

Picked up another assist and could have had a game-changing play with a shorthanded breakaway. Dubnyk turned it aside but Calvert continues to be an effective player 4v5. He looks very good playing about 12 minutes and getting a specialized role.

Samuel Girard – B+

The man is a zone exit and zone entry machine. His ability to skate through traffic and get out of his zone and into the offensive zone is elite. Elite. What happens when he gets into the offensive zone, however, is certainly an area that continues to need work. Sometimes he looks like he has no plan and skates pucks into the corner, gives them up, and goes back on defense because nothing came of it. Other times he plays with confidence and creates something with a teammate. We saw a little of both tonight.

Erik Johnson – B-

I’ve really liked his work defensively more than anything. He was again solid tonight and looks comfortable playing a more stay-at-home role. The Avs asked that of him last year and it looked like a real transitional year for him because he’d never done it before. Now, with the offensive talent around him, he seems content playing strong defense and attacking offensively when he sees openings and not forcing it. Steady is the name of his game tonight.

Nikita Zadorov – C+

He did a lot of different things tonight and I thought plenty of them were good. My struggles with him remain his decisions with the puck and his lack of urgency in his own end. Sometimes his casual approach can be fine but other times it gets him swallowed up. Tonight was a little more of the bad one. Loved his physicality though, especially against an opponent is lighter on talent and heavier on the rough stuff than they have been in the past.

Cale Makar – B

He dinged two posts and was aggressive firing pucks on the PP. Maybe a little too aggressive if you ask Kadri. Overall, we saw all the flashes tonight of what makes Makar a superstar in the making – skill, skating, and nastiness on defense. He still recorded an assist.

Ryan Graves – B+

The third pairing as a unit had its fair share of yikes moments but Graves was really the steadier of the two. He was put into heavy defensive situations and excelled. Kudos for the ENG to ice the game, too. I’d like him to be a little less cute with the puck offensively but that’s purely a minor nitpick of his game.

Conor Timmins – C-

This can definitely be perceived as harsh because it’s just his second game but results still matter. He blew two coverages that either led to breakaways or penalties. He needs to settle it down a bit but despite the big mistakes, he ended up very much on the right side of shot attempts tonight.

Philipp Grubauer – B+

Really liked Grubauer tonight. It wasn’t dominant but it was enough and he threw some spectacular saves in there to boot. He was once again perfect in the third period and the glove save he made on Ryan Donato’s breakaway early in the game was highlight porn. I liked him a lot more tonight than against Calgary. Colorado will be tough to beat if this Grubauer shows up most nights.