Avs Game 1 Grades: Perfect start

Nicolas Aube-Kubel – B+

A bit of a surprise to sneak into the Game 1 lineup, but did so because of his heaviness on the puck, and he showed it a good bit tonight. Big hit on Ekholm in the third period and the Avs dominated with him on the ice.

Andre Burakovsky – B+

The setup of the third line is interesting, but Burakovsky looked engaged all night. Had plenty of good looks, including a nice one in the slot in the second that was blocked. Big shot block in the second period as well.

Bowen Byram – B+

Avs crushed it with Bo out there. His cross-checking penalty was worthy of a call but one you wonder where the consistency is. Avoided some bigger collisions, including Granlund completely whiffing on him late. Had a nice look to Sturm in the second that Sturm tipped high.

Andrew Cogliano – A

Tough to go out with an injury after scoring your first goal with the team. Hopefully it’s just a stinger and he can come back soon.

J.T. Compher – B+

A dominant night in the face-off circle, including the win that led to the 5-on-3 goal. The third line did exactly what Bednar expected them to do.

Samuel Girard – B

Nashville was taking runs at him all night, including the one immediately that drew the penalty the Avs scored on. Sammy finally had enough of it and tossed Cousins into the boards in the third period.

Darren Helm – A

Loved Helm all night long. Played physical, played with a ton of energy, and was good on the penalty kill. This time of year is pretty much why he was brought in.

Erik Johnson – B+

EJ had a beautiful poke check on Duchene on the first penalty kill of the night to kill a rush and clear it down the ice. In fact, he sure seemed ready to hit Duchene any time he came near him. Really liked his game and nice to have him around in the postseason.

Nazem Kadri – B+

He got his money’s worth on his penalty. If you’re going to hold, might as well take the stick with you. Great feed on the Lehkonen goal. I just have to assume Lehkonen was screaming for the puck. Preds tried to get under his skin and Kadri just ignored them.

Darcy Kuemper – B

Huge save in the first period on McCarron, who looked like the least talented player on the ice with his inability to lift the puck. Kuemper really didn’t have to do much, but I imagine that changes a bit as the series goes on.

Gabriel Landeskog – A

Who missed this guy? (Answer: Everyone). Immediate impact, digging for the puck and outworking three guys behind the net to help setup the opening goal, and then just overpowering Carrier on the Makar goal. There was some rust, as he fell over about six times the first period alone, but just great to have him back.

Artturi Lehkonen – A-

A little unlucky as he was whacking at the puck on the first Duchene goal and inadvertently hit it to Duchene. Beyond that, he was a beast on the penalty kill and a great game overall. Got super feisty late, so we saw a bit of a new side to him.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

Playoff Nate is built differently, and we saw it on the opening shift. He and Granlund had something going last game, and Nate wasted no time throwing his weight into Granlund. The points keep coming, and Rittich knew he had a better chance stopping MacK on a breakaway if he came out to the blue line rather than staying in his own net.

Cale Makar – A

There were some dicey moments physically where Makar took some hits, and the fall at the end of the first looked pretty bad, but boy is he something else. That goal is something only he can do. I really don’t know how you defend that. Love that in game one, they didn’t even have to overextend his minutes.

Josh Manson – A

Arguably his best game in an Avs uniform. Was nasty and physical from the drop of the puck, and jumped in offensively, including a good chance down low early in the game. This is what he was brought in for, and he delivered in game one.

Valeri Nichushkin – B+

I have never seen Nuke as animated as he was in the second period jawing with some Preds player behind the net. They must have really pissed him off. Had some good looks, and spent most of his time on the top line, although things moved around as the game went on.

Mikko Rantanen – A

That’s big-time Mikko. Steals the puck and hits the crossbar on his first shift of the game, and then two primary assists within the first three minutes. Had his own good looks as well, but the man produces come playoff time.

Nico Sturm – B

That Benning crosscheck looked like it got him in a tough spot, so much so that I was surprised he came back. Missed a deflection with an empty net from Byram in the second, but hopefully that goal will come eventually.

Devon Toews – A-

The Preds were apparently not ready for Toews’ ability to just keep jumping into the play. They must be used to other defenders just stopping after moving the puck forward. That’s not how this team works.