Avs-Ducks player grades: Duck, duck, lose

CALIFORNIA – Let’s call this what it was: a killer loss. This was a game the Avs kinda-sorta had to have, to keep in step with team 7,8 and 9 in the West. As it stands, the Avs are now No. 10 in the West, after a 2-1 loss to lowly Anaheim.

Let’s do the grades:

Mikko Rantanen (C+) – Four shots on net, good effort. But the fact is, he didn’t get anything on the score sheet and was part of a very ineffective power play early on. As I’ve said recently, I think he’s playing hurt with a lower-body injury.

Nathan MacKinnon (C) – The rumor before the game was he was almost a scratch with the flu. He didn’t seem belabored out there when the puck dropped. But the results just weren’t there. No points, two shots on net. Ever since that game in Nashville, it seems like he’s overcomplicating his game again.

Gabe Landeskog (B-) – Effort was certainly there, with six shots on net. It’s just that nothing would go in.

Alexander Kerfoot (D) – His careless pass from the neutral zone to the Ducks zone was picked off by Brendan Guhle, who then caught Kerfoot flat-footed with a pass to Jakob Silfverberg and an odd-man rush that was finished off by Silfverberg for the first goal of the game. He’s got to be smarter than that.

Carl Soderberg (B-) – Set up Brassard for the only goal of the game. He gave the usual Carl-sized effort, though he wasn’t all that good 5-on-5.

Derick Brassard (B-) – He’s got two goals in his first three games as an Av. This was a pretty easy one, a one-timer off the pass from Carl. He had two shots on net overall. But, he lost five of six faceoffs.

Gabriel Bourque (F) – His contributions today, in 4:18 of ice time, included the penalty that allowed Anaheim to get the game-winning goal on the power play.

Colin Wilson (F) – No shots, no points, bad puck-possession numbers (7 Corsi for, 13 against).

Sven Andgrighetto (D) – One shot on net in the eight-plus minutes he played. Just seems like he never took it to the next level this season, after a pretty good 2017-18.

Tyson Jost (D) – Seems like his game is receding again a bit. Just wasn’t a factor in any manner today. No shots, no points, in 11:36.

Matt Calvert (D) – Barely noticed him all day. Seemed to just be out there, skating around.

J.T. Compher (B-) – Assisted on the Brassard goal, won more faceoffs than he lost. Be nice to see him elevate his scoring more, but he’s still had a pretty good year to this point.

Erik Johnson (B+) – Played a fine game, with five hits and five blocked shots. The puck-possession numbers say he had a tougher game, but in this case that’s deceptive.

Sam Girard (C) – Great breakup of a breakaway by Daniel Sprong in the third period, to keep it a one-goal game. But the fact is, it was kind of a tough day for No. 49 otherwise. Puck-possession numbers weren’t good and his offensive game was lacking.

Ian Cole (F) – Cost his teammates with an unnecessary kneeing major of Devin Shore. That put his team down to only five D the rest of the game. He will likely be suspended for that hit.

Patrik Nemeth (C) – Just kind of your average game in a losing effort. I always admire Nemeth’s work ethic. But on days like today, you wish there could be a little more in the form of tangible results.

Tyson Barrie (C-) – No goals in 16 straight games now for Barrie. He had good puck-possession stats (26 Corsi for, 14 against). Trouble is, he didn’t get anything accomplished on the scoreboard with all that puck possession.

Nikita Zadorov (B) – I thought he was fine. Four hits, even on the plus-minus, decent Corsi numbers.

Philipp Grubauer (B) – Only saw 23 shots.  The first goal was probably very stoppable, but the Kerfoot giveaway and flat-footedness played the bigger role in that goal. The other was a power-play goal, and it’s always tough to blame the goalie there.