The Avalanche were never able to get any consistent offensive pressure, and more defensive mistakes cost them on their way to a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
How did each player perform? Let’s find out…
Tyson Barrie (F) – What a disastrous start to the year for Barrie, and he played a role in every goal by the Jets today. He’s proven to be very bad at playing a 2 on 1, and the opening goal was evidence of that.
Francois Beauchemin (C-) – The good news is that Beauchemin was limited in his ice time today, but he still continues to try these weird, no look backhand passes in the defensive zone that never work.
Rene Bourque (D) – Multiple plays died on his stick when the pass came to him. He should just be going to the net and holding onto the puck as little as possible.
Blake Comeau (C) – I do like Comeau, but the idea that he was somehow promoted to the top power play unit was baffling to me. I’m not sure what went behind that move.
Matt Duchene (C+) – Duchene, even though he’s producing, still looks frustrated. He made some questionable passes tonight, and should be taking it to the net as much as possible. Both his linemates were pretty useless this afternoon, though.
Eric Gelinas (D) – There is obviously skill there, but it’s not all there in the head. He got walked a few times by Ehlers tonight, and made some more questionable decisions with the puck.
Mikhail Grigorenko (F) – An awful game for Grigs, possibly his worst in an Avs uniform. Too many turnovers along the boards in the defensive zone, including one that led to the back breaking third Winnipeg goal.
Jarome Iginla (C) – It was nice to see him get one at the end. Maybe that will raise his trade value ever so slightly.
Gabriel Landeskog (C) – I didn’t see the big deal with his hit late in the game. He went to shove the guys shoulder and clipped his face a bit. It wasn’t that bad. What’s concerning is the decline in offense in Landy’s game. Still, he’s a one man breakout and the team would suffer greatly without him.
Nathan MacKinnon (C) – He got out shined by his center counterpart in Mark Scheifele, and unfortunately when that happens, the Avs usually lose.
Andreas Martinsen (D) – It was nice to see Byfuglien bounce off of him, but his puck skills have deteriorated as the year has gone on. He flubbed so many pucks tonight.
Cody McLeod (C) – He fought Chris Thorburn. You probably already knew that would happen, but that’s really all there is to know.
John Mitchell (D) – Another game where Mitchell does some decent things, and ends the game with zero shots on goal again.
Calvin Pickard (C) – I’m not sure Pickard had much of a chance on any of the goals today, but he’s had a chance to run with the job with three straight starts and has yet to have a save percentage above 90% in any of those games.
Mikko Rantanen (D) – Another assist for Mikko, but he hasn’t looked the same since leaving the Toronto game a little with a shoulder issue. His puck control has not been as strong, although he did a nice job drawing a penalty in the second.
Carl Soderberg (D) – Soderberg has had a little bit more jump the last few games since being demoted to the 4th line, but he’s not getting any more ice time. I’d switch him with Grigorenko after today’s debacle.
Patrick Wiercioch (B-) – He was probably the teams 2nd best defenseman tonight, but his lack of offensive production, despite PP time, is concerning.
Fedor Tyutin (D) – He got caught pinching on the opening goal by the Jets, and helped contribute to the teams inability to get the puck out just prior to the third goal.
Nikita Zadorov (B+) – If nothing else, EJ’s injury has given Zadorov a chance to shine, and other than the Montreal mess, he’s been doing just that. He was flying with the puck today, and looked as confident offensively as he has in an Avs uniform. The Avs would be wise to feed him more minutes, as he’s been their best defenseman since Johnson went down.
The Avalanche continue their mini trip when they take on the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The game starts at 6 PM MST.
