Avalanche Game 22 Grades: Flying on

Nicolas Aube-Kubel – C-

He was really amped up and it showed. That manifested in some good ways but also some bad with him taking another needless penalty, this one in the offensive zone, and it led to a goal against and helped Philadelphia briefly climb back into the game.

Justus Annunen – C-

Claude Giroux’s goals were bombs. The other three were definitely plays where you want to see Annunen make a save. His first NHL start had some rocky moments and this didn’t inspire confidence he’s ready for more in the immediate future.

Andre Burakovsky – C-

His shot metrics are awesome but I didn’t think he really did a whole lot to be part of that. He was quiet again but made some loud mistakes with the puck. He’s playing a consistently soft game that is easy for teams to defend.

Samuel Girard – B

I really liked Girard tonight, especially his puck-moving. The Avs struggled as a whole to break pucks out of their zone but Girard was moving his feet and doing a very good job getting out when he had an opportunity. No coincidence, the Avs had great shot metrics with G on the ice.

Darren Helm -D

Got crushed in shot metrics and I can’t say I noticed him much at all.

Erik Johnson – D+

He scored a great goal to get Colorado on the board and then made a great glove save in the third period when he swatted a puck out of there but he got obliterated in quality AND quantity of chances against and he continues to get eaten alive when forced to make decisions with the puck.

Jack Johnson – D

The big problem with this Johnson so far this year has been a total lack of offense and that he doesn’t chip in or drive any kind of play at all. He does nothing offensively. In a game where he takes care of his own zone and has a low-event night, that’s fine. Tonight he got beaten up again and those nights are when bad things happen.

Tyson Jost – F

The goal was a great finish, but Jost is in the lineup for his defensive prowess and ability to mitigate mistakes. He’s now in the position of doing the heavy lifting for a fourth line that brings almost zero offensive upside. Him getting the seventh goal of a decided game was nice but not nearly as meaningful as the repeated ugly mistakes in his own zone. Just an awful night for him.

Nazem Kadri – B

A good but not great night for Kadri. His shot was unreal and I loved that. Beyond that, he looked like the real play driver of the team because the defense was giving him a ton of space and he looked comfortable. He’s downright vibin’.

Gabriel Landeskog – A-

I thought Landy looked great. Am I turning into Landeskog’s most ardent fan in the media? I think he’s been so good most of this season and tonight was a microcosm of that. Solid all-around play, scored a goal, impact player.

Kurtis MacDermid – F

What’s the upside? Gets crushed in shot metrics, finished with zero hits, and two blocked shots feels almost like mercy stat padding. Very little upside here and part of the puck-moving problem with no Byram in the lineup.

Nathan MacKinnon – B

Thisclose to breaking through and taking over the entire world. There are some individual struggles but he drives the hell out of play and creates chaos for opposing defenses. Some turnovers but when a guy has the puck alllllllll the time, that’s inevitable.

Cale Makar – A

Freak of nature. Superstar. Arguably Colorado’s best player. Potentially the league’s most special offensive defenseman since Bobby Orr.

Jayson Megna – D+

Terrible metrics, got caved in all night. Then had a great shift and a great forecheck to create the Jost goal, but I’m again limiting the credit for the seventh goal in a decided game. It was a nice play, but the rest of the body of work was just bad.

Alex Newhook – B-

Newhook is hovering around even in shot metrics most nights but he’s producing and got a little lucky on his goal tonight. Never apologize for success, though, and Newhook has been regularly buzzing.

Valeri Nichushkin – C+

Great shot metrics, another goal, but lost an uncharacteristic number of board battles and defensively showed some cracks we rarely ever see from him. Not a bad night by any means, but he’s raised expectations that a night like this isn’t a slam dunk victory anymore.

Logan O’Connor – B-

The crash test dummy on the Avs, he just makes things happen. He missed an open net to add to his points total but another short-handed assist when Claude Giroux whiffed on the puck and fell down the create the scoring chance for LOC. Never apologize for success!

Mikko Rantanen – C+

Being a touch harsh on a guy with two assists but Rantanen felt like a really low-impact player despite the points and linemates. He just sort of hung about and fell his way to points. Clean living, I tell ya.

Devon Toews – B+

A couple of missed assignments defensively but overall his metrics were killer and he was personally really good most of the night. Love his hockey IQ. A great example was his decision at the end of the second period to throw a puck into the corner instead of throwing it into traffic and risking a blocked shot going the other way to create problems. Love smart little plays like that.