Avalanche Game 5 player grades: Flame-broiled win

It’s all happening, isn’t it? I probably speak for a lot of Avalanche watchers: it’s all happened a little too fast to properly process, hasn’t it? Who cares, enjoy it. Let’s get to the Game 5 grades:

Mikko Rantanen (X) – So good, he was filthy. Two goals, one assist, just money in the clutch in this one and every game from the first one on. Now he gets to rest up a little for a few days, which I think he needed.

Nathan MacKinnon (X) – Three assists in this one, a capper to a great friggin’ series individually. His overtime goal in Game 2 served notice to Calgary that he was about to take over the series. Tremendous.

Gabe Landeskog (A) – He scored a goal and was part of a top line that just dominated Calgary’s top trio all series long. He plays such a heavy game. And in the playoffs, that matters even more. His drawing of that penalty at the end of Game 4 was a big moment in this series.

Alexander Kerfoot (B-) – The kid frustrates me at times, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Just shoot the puck more, son. The Avs will need some production from him before these playoffs are through, if they want to keep advancing that is. That said, he contributed in his own way in this series.

Carl Soderberg (B) – Carl had one big moment in the series – that setup of Rantanen’s overtime winner in Game 4. Otherwise, Carl was a bit quiet. But Carl should be good and rested for Round 2, and the Avs will need him.

J.T. Compher (B) – Maybe a little quiet tonight, but it was still a heck of a series for No. 37. He scored two huge goals, and he outworked his slower Flames depth-line counterparts throughout.

Colin Wilson (X) – Wilson! Wow, what a game. Two goals, one assist. I have to hand it to him; I wasn’t sure he could be a real factor anymore, but he sure as heck was at key times in this series.

Matt Calvert (B) – Solid, underrated series. He was physical and took a lot of shots for the team. He did some nice work tonight on the PK. He’s a bit banged up, so the rest between series should help him too.

Sven Andrighetto (C+) – Pretty quiet game, pretty quiet series. Only played a little more than nine minutes. He didn’t embarrass himself in relief of Derick Brassard in the series. That said, he was…pretty quiet.

Gabriel Bourque (B-) – Played a little more than nine minutes of workmanlike, fourth-line hockey. It’s always a bit of a struggle trying to come up with a grade for the dude, but can we say he was bad? No, we can’t. Bourque is what he is.

Tyson Jost (B-) – Won 6-of-9 faceoffs. He did not have a point in the series, though, and, well, I don’t know if the Avs MUST get something from him in the next round. But I have a feeling they will need something, if they want to win anyway.

Matt Nieto (B-) – No points and minus-1, but three shots on net and his two short-handed goals in the series made a real difference.

Cale Makar (A) – Do you know he was credited with five official takeaways in the game? Nobody on the Avs had any more than three. He had an assist and was a plus-2 and played 19:26. His addition to the series, starting in Game 3, electrified the Avs. Is anyone still worried that the Avs should have just waited until next year to play him?

Erik Johnson (B) – A bit of a weird series. He was mostly good, but there were a couple of scary moments, like when he fell on his butt in OT on that near Mikael Backlund goal in Game 4. I thought he turned the puck over a couple times tonight, but Groob was always there to bail him out.

Tyson Barrie (A+) – A big Game 5, with three assists, and I liked how he got into it with Johnny Gaudreau in the second period behind the net. He has been great since February. Don’t trade him!

Nikita Zadorov (A) – This grade is worth it alone for his “How is your bracket?” tweet after the game.

Patrik Nemeth (A-) – Plus-2, played nearly 18 minutes. He had a nice, solid series. It’s going to be very tough to take him out of the lineup, if Sam Girard is ready to return. Will the Avs just go with seven D then? We’ll see.

Ian Cole (B) – I feel like Ian Cole should be prowling the streets of London in the early 1800s, drinking whiskey and singing scallywag songs and being a rascal. That’s how I pictured him this series. That’s all a compliment, of course.

Philipp Grubauer (A+) – GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB.