SUNRISE, Fla. – The Avalanche snuffed out that one-game losing streak by beating the Florida Panthers 5-2 Thursday night. Let’s get to the grades:
Gabe Landeskog (A) – Was part of an awesome, dominant shift in the third that led to J.T. Compher’s tie-breaking goal. He added an empty-netter. He was a bit slow in the first half of the game, but really was great in that third.
Nathan MacKinnon (B) – A little off again at times with his decision-making, but he did pick up an assist and was a plus-3.
Mikko Rantanen (B+) – Got an early goal, on a tip of a Patrik Nemeth shot. Started the third on a new line, but didn’t let it affect him, in another strong overall effort.
Alexander Kerfoot (C) – Not the greatest night. No points or shots. Won four out of seven faceoffs at least.
J.T. Compher (A) – Great tip on the game-winner, skated well and hard overall. Had four shots on net.
Colin Wilson (B-) – He had a nice assist on one of Carl Soderberg’s goals. Kind of quiet otherwise, but that assist was important.
Carl Soderberg (A+) – Two goals and a great pass to Matt Nieto that almost resulted in a goal. Big Carl definitely brought his A game.
Matt Nieto (B) – Clanged a shot off the post on his breakaway. Only played 10 minutes, but did some good things out there.
Matt Calvert (C) – Just kind of there tonight, nothing that stood out much in any way. That’s not always a bad thing, but he didn’t play with the puck too much.
Tyson Jost (C) – I don’t know, I don’t think the move of him to left wing is a good thing. He’s more of a centerman. He needs to play with the puck more, and centers get to do that more than wingers.
Vladislav Kamenev (C) – Only played six minutes, but did get two shots on net. Just not very noticeable out there otherwise lately.
Gabriel Bourque (C) – Uh, oh that’s right, he played. Just not a very flashy player at all. Nothing tangible offensively, but worked hard it seemed, at least.
Erik Johnson (B+) – Good, solid game for EJ I thought. We got a scare when he left the game in the second period, but he’s fine now.
Sam Girard (A) – I thought his skating and puck-possession game was strong. He added and assist, with two shots on net. A solid game for 49.
Ian Cole (B+) – The NHL’s blocked shots leader added two more. He was a plus-2 in nearly 21 minutes of solid action.
Nikita Zadorov (B) – He had a ZSmash on Jared McCann in the second period that was patented. He lost the puck at center ice that nearly led to a third-period Panthers goal. Pretty good otherwise.
Patrik Nemeth (B-) – The big Swede got an assist on the first goal. Had his usual good moment here, bad moment there defensively. Nothing terrible, though.
Tyson Barrie (B+) – Didn’t get a point, but I thought he was pretty active with the puck and put three shots on net.
Philipp Grubauer (A) – Excellent performance by the German backup. Great save on a breakaway to keep it a 2-2 game. Very solid showing, with 33 saves overall.

0 Comments (6 conversations)
ABrowne87
Jost?
bwheeler
Haha I guess Dater didn’t notice him on the ice. I can’t be talking because I didn’t either.
poleary19
Calvert left out too lol
JDC15
Calvert was invisible and I only noticed Jost on one shift. As for Jost I keep waiting for this awesome 2 way player to emerge and it just doesn’t seem to be happening.
Boreas23
Seems to me that Jost is separated from the puck way too easily and I feel that Kamenev has nothing but upside but keeps getting shafted and stuck with 4th line duty. Give Kam the minutes and linemates and let’s see what he can do.
Adrian Dater
AuthorWoops. Adding them now. Long day
jttthenutt
I’m just here to say I freaking love what Ian Cole has done for this team and Nieto has been playing great lately
Adrian, I think you may be burning the candles at both ends with lack of sleep, as this is one of the first times I disagree on a number of your grades. Mikko with a B+? He really struggled last night and his game was off. Put aside the tip-in, he was forcing the puck in the zone, had many errant passes and just did not skate well. I think a C or C+ is more appropriate. Nieto with only a B? I would give him an A-, no less than a B+ – he was flying when he was on the PK and at even strength. Kamenev with only a C? Despite playing only six minutes, he played a solid game and showed his talent on a couple plays to get shots on goals that were most impressive and setup his line mates who missed opportunities. Bourque with a C? I thought this was one of his strongest games and deserved at least a B-. Grubauer with an A? Yes, he came up with some big saves but he was shaky in the first two periods, so I think a B or possibly a B+ is more appropriate. AD, it seems like you base your grades on the ice time and if one plays 10 minutes or less a C is the highest grade. Anyway, just my 10 cents on your grades for this game.
rb9cms
Could not agree more about Jost and Kamenev. Jost is a center. Period. Moving him all around is not going to develop him in the role he is cast. Kamenev? I’d be feeding this kid ice time to get the mistakes out of the way (penalties, defensive zone) and develop his offensive game. He seems to burst with potential. And may I say I am D-O-N-E with Bourque. Avs are wasting development time for somebody—anybody with him on the ice. Even with injuries, I’d call up, ohhhhhhh, Greer??
Nels
I’m going to have to totally agree with this whole comment.