Avs Game 13 Grades - Owned Them

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The Colorado Avalanche owned the game from start to finish, but got some much needed good luck in overtime, as the Jets scored on their own net, giving the Avs a 3-2 victory.

How did each player play?  Let’s find out…

Tyson Barrie (B+) – He flashed a lot more good than bad tonight.  The assist on Bourque’s first goal is what Avs fans want to see more but he fled the zone way too early on the first Jets goal.

Francois Beauchemin (A) – That was Beauchemin’s strongest game from start to finish this season.  Normally a player who bleeds shot attempts against, he was only on the ice for 3 Jets attempts in almost 14 minutes.

Rene Bourque (A) – It’s a little scary that he has more goals than some of the Avs top players, but can’t fault him for that.  He’s scoring in the dirty areas, as the goals that he’s actually put in the net this year have all been within 5 feet of the goal.

Joe Colborne (C) – This guy is a frustrating player.  Other than his great opening night, he’s been kind of a mess on the ice.  His lack of speed is really evident out there, and you just know he’s more talented than he shows.

Matt Duchene (B) – The obvious downside to the game is Duchene’s injury.  He looked real good before having to leave, but a head injury to your top scorer is never ideal.

Eric Gelinas (B-) – Surprised that he even got in there, but he’s played well in both games that he’s gotten in against Winnipeg.  The other games he’s gotten into…not so much.

Mikhail Grigorenko (A) – To me, he looks significantly better at center than on the wing.  He’s got the puck on his stick more, and it allows him to use his vision and creativity.  You still want to see him shoot the puck more than he has.  The Jets only had 1 shot attempt with him out there.

Jarome Iginla (C) – His first period may have been his best period of the season, but he fell off big time after that.  It was nice to see him moved down the lineup, but the Duchene injury may change that.

Erik Johnson (A) – His pairing got matched up against the Jets top line, and owned them.  He’s taking a lot of shots, but they’re low percentage shots from the boards, so you’d like to see him get into better shooting positions when he rushes it up the ice.

Gabriel Landeskog (B) – He smoked Scheifele in the third period, and while he didn’t have a dominant game by any means, he provided the steady two way game that he usually does.

Nathan MacKinnon (A-) – MacKinnon was flying most of the night, and especially early.  He almost ended the game early in overtime but managed to hit another post.

Andreas Martinsen (B) – Martinsen is turning into a solid asset on the penalty kill, which can help extend his career in the NHL if he continues to prove valuable there.  Made some real nice plays with his stick tonight.

Cody McLeod (C) – I don’t understand his fight myself, but some people love that stuff.  Other than that, he had a quiet night and just needs to not take penalties like he did late in the game.

John Mitchell (B) – He almost finished off the game late in the third period with a nice rush up the ice, only to be stopped in tight.  Other than a few moments here and there, I’ve been happy with him since his return.

Mikko Rantanen (A) – He’s gotten rid of that goose egg under the Goals statistic, as his second-period goal was a perfect shot.  He drew a penalty in the second period with his strong edge work and might start to get some bounces going his way now.

Carl Soderberg (C) – He played better tonight than he has most of the year, but took a really bad penalty in the second period, and got beat on the first Jets goal after his turnover.  He did do some good things on the PK.

Fedor Tyutin (B) – Other than his nightly penalty, he played a solid game, particularly on the penalty kill.  Threw a nice open ice hit in the third period.

Semyon Varlamov (B) – The Avs really made his job easy tonight, and he did what he had to do.  The breakaway save on Wheeler in overtime was obviously his biggest of the night, as the Avs scored just a few moments later to win it.

Nikita Zadorov (A-) – Dumb penalties aside, the growth in his game this year has been tremendous.  He looks much calmer with the puck on his stick and more in control defensively.  Made a terrific rush on the penalty kill in the second period, and just moments later crushed rookie stud Patrik Laine in the corner.

The Colorado Avalanche continue their home stand on Sunday when they take on the Boston Bruins.  The game starts at 5 PM MST.