The Colorado Avalanche fell 4-3 in overtime to the Nashville Predators. Below are the player grades!
Tyson Barrie (B) – I thought Barrie was really solid in this game. He notched another assist on Rantanen’s goal and he continues to show well in huge minutes as he’s become the de facto number one defenseman in Erik Johnson’s absence.
Gabriel Bourque (C-) – Odd to me to have him on the ice when trying to solidify a lead but that’s the kind of trust he’s earned from Bednar. He’s been part of nothing positive at even strength for a few games now.
Blake Comeau (C-) – I really didn’t think Comeau was effective today. He wasn’t part of the Nieto goal to tie the game and he again went to the ‘Comeau Curl’ instead of centering the puck or just throwing it on the net. He made himself too easy to defend with the puck today.
J.T. Compher (C) – Compher hasn’t played well today but I liked his effort today. He went all out and he made a nice play without his stick to move the puck out of the defensive zone. He got beat up a bit at even strength but was also used in defensive situations.
Samuel Girard (C+) – He didn’t play a ton and he wasn’t as effective moving the puck as he normally is. Defensively, he continues to be steady and reliable and on the right side of shot metrics.
Tyson Jost (C) – Another quiet game. It seems MacKinnon’s return has almost come at the expense of Jost’s success. He needs to continue finding his way as a second/third line center.
Alexander Kerfoot (C) – Same as Jost. His points have really off lately. He and Jost don’t seem to have a ton of chemistry right now.
Gabriel Landeskog (C+) – He was a stat-stuffer tonight but not all of it was good. He took two penalties, delivered four hits, and went 7-5 on faceoffs. He’s a do-everything guy for the Avs and he definitely lived up to that role today.
Anton Lindholm (C) – Lindholm was okay today, his highlight coming with his assist on the Zadorov goal. He uses his stick effectively on defense to break plays up and he was physical with four hits.
Nathan MacKinnon (B-) – Only one point today but it was a big one as he hit Rantanen for the go-ahead goal in the third. He put another eight shots on goal but also won three of just 14 faceoffs he took. Yikes.
Patrik Nemeth (B-) – Bednar seems to have found a nice role for Nemeth where he’s not an even strength minute-muncher but he plays a ton on the PK. He had a strong game on both ends as he activated some offense but also blocked four shots on defense.
Matt Nieto (C+) – Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Nieto will take the gift of the goal today.
Mikko Rantanen (B) – I thought Rantanen played very well today. This would have absolutely been higher had he not missed an open net that would have put Colorado ahead 2-1. He was rock solid today.
Duncan Siemens (D) – These are the types of efforts that open the door for a guy like Mark Alt to take his place. His turnover helped create the first goal against and he continued to struggle with the puck throughout the day.
Carl Soderberg (B) – Big Carl was really good again today. A great read helped him draw the penalty that resulted in Rantanen’s goal. He was solid in the faceoff circle and his board work on the Zadorov goal was immaculate. He wants it.
Dominic Toninato (D) – Like Bourque, his spot in the lineup is likely solidified more due to injury issues than positive play. This was another poor performance at a time he needs to be showing up big. When Colorado gets a little healthier at forward, he may be odd-man out.
Semyon Varlamov (F) – What in the world was that??
Nikita Zadorov (B) – Zadorov played some great hockey…when he wasn’t taking silly penalties. Colorado was fortunate to kill off both power plays and his goal came right after he left the box after his first penalty. A great goal and he contributed a bunch today. One goal, two shots, three hits, four blocked shots, and a scoring chance in overtime? Pretty good day for the big man. Those penalties could have been killer though.
Nail Yakupov (C+) – He didn’t play very much but he played hard, per usual, and was active in shooting and creating offense early. His reticence to shoot on one play, in particular, was disappointing but I thought Yakupov did well for himself in his return to the lineup.
0 Comments (8 conversations)
I think the NCAA boys are learning they need to get stronger if they are going to play against the top lines in the league.
Gummer
Agreed! They have good hockey IQ, but it seems like night after night they are getting knocked off their feet!
ahinton54
Great summary, AJ – wish D-men would stop dropping the puck back on PP rush…seems to slow the play down leading to troubles maintaining the puck throughout PP…but I do think this is a playoff team who can compete with anyone in a 7-game series; keep up the great work, BSN!
Johnny M
That’s a weird little set play they do. Must be to try and foil the defense entering the zone, but it seems kind of weak, and a lot of teams seem to have caught on. It doesn’t often work well.
It’s about a controlled zone entry. Your chances of scoring on the power play go up significantly when entering the zone with a controlled entry versus dumping and using the extra man to retrieve it. The drop pass gives MacKinnon options: He can either find a crease and carry it into the zone or he can drop it off to one of the guys standing along the wall. Typically, he carries it himself or drops it to Landeskog, who then walks into the zone and then has options to set up the power play – either give it back to a streaking MacKinnon or drop it to a stationary Barrie at the blue line. It’s all about creating mismatches and increasing odds. It’s why the majority of teams in the NHL incorporate that drop pass on the PP.
Apollo
All I have to say is; I broke my remote control today. It was new, a fancy one…. an expensive one. It singlehandidly propelled itself against a wall. It died so that I could live. I hate sports.
FML, this was an angering loss.
Unit5
It’s a sign of progress that we can get wrapped up in the games like that again. FWIW, I’ve been able to stifle the urge to destroy things as I’ve gotten older.
Avs4life
Why Bednar put Landeskog & MacKinnon on the ice with 2 min left ?
David C McKinnis
That was baffling.
When it’s a 6 on 5 situation protecting the lead at the end of games, why do the Avs not attack the puck but rather stay back in a zone defense allowing the Preds to take shot after shot from the blue line or the left and right face-off circles? It only creates better scoring chances with screening Varly and more and better rebound chances. When they are on a standard PK, we create pressure and attack the puck. I believe Mike Haynes said we have given up more goals when it’s 6 on 5 than any other team in the league. Frustrating as hell.
Johnny M
They sit too deep in the box
Johnny M
The Avs are definitely consistent with its usage. Do you think that it allows them a higher percentage of controlled entries, though? When it’s dropped back, it seems like everyone lines up on the blue line and it starts looking like a football game.
K.Szela93
The outcome and the collapse was disappointing, I understand that. But the fact we took arguably the NHLs best team to OT and competed with them all game speaks volumes to what this team has become and will soon be. The fact that we are still playing competitive hockey in March has blown away all expectations. We’re right there in the playoff race, this team has a lot to be excited about moving forward regardless of if we make the playoffs.
Flashdurb
“I thought Mikko played really well today”. Lol did you turn off the game before overtime?
Gummer
Agreed! They have good hockey IQ, but it seems like night after night they are getting knocked off their feet!