Avs Game 2 Grades - The Swedish Stallion

The Colorado Avalanche battled back yet again from another two goal deficit and beat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime 4-3.

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

Tyson Barrie (C) – Barrie has started slower the last few seasons, and this year doesn’t look any different.  He’s made some turnovers in the defensive zone, and when he and Beauchemin have been on the ice together, they’ve struggled, like they did tonight.

Francois Beauchemin (C) – I thought Beauchemin looked a bit better tonight than the other night, but not a huge improvement.  He played Malkin well down low in the third period, despite his lack of speed, but whiffed on the puck clearing it and Colborne took a penalty soon after.

Rene Bourque (B-) – Bourque used his speed to his advantage a few times, including getting to the puck first just before Wiercioch’s goal.  He took a bad penalty in the third period but played well overall.

Gabriel Bourque (B) – Gabriel was not on the ice for a single scoring chance against.  The 4th line was the only line going other than the MacKinnon one for the first two periods, and they managed to keep the puck in the Penguins end most of the night.

Joe Colborne (B+) – So far, so good for Colborne.  He was really strong all night long, and his only mistake was failing to clear the puck in the third and taking a penalty seconds later.

Blake Comeau (D) – Comeau missed most of camp and may not be 100%, both physically and mentally, as he doesn’t have a lot of reps in this system.  It’s showing right now, as he looks completely off.

Matt Duchene (D) – Duchene picked it up more in the third, but for about half the game, he wasn’t on the ice for a single shot attempt at the Penguins net.  The 2nd line hasn’t worked well at even strength, and there was a lot of line jumbling for the second half of the game.

Mikhail Grigorenko (D) – Grigs followed up a great debut with a stinker.  He was barely noticeable all night long, but the thing about talented guys is that they can make plays when you need them the most, and his pass to Landeskog on the game-tying goal was terrific.

Jarome Iginla (C-) – Iginla can still be a weapon on the power play, but he is a liability at even strength.  I have to imagine when Rantanen is up and healthy, that he’s taking that spot on the top line.

Erik Johnson (A) – Through two games, EJ looks as good as he ever has.  He’s making strong reads, jumping up in the play, and creating chances.  He dropped 10 pounds over the summer and he does look just a little bit quicker out there.

Gabriel Landeskog (A) – People weren’t happy with Landeskog missing some chances through the game, but smart players put themselves in the right spots, and that’s what he was doing.  He was rewarded with the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal.  He’s been tremendous at both ends of the ice and it appears Bednar will lean on him heavily.

Nathan MacKinnon (A) – Other than getting on the wrong side of the puck on the second Penguins goal, MacK was awesome.  He created chances on his own, had two primary assists, and hit the post shorthanded in the third period.

Andreas Martinsen (B) – Through two games, Martinsen is doing a lot of good things, including his work on the penalty kill.  He had a goal taken back in the second period, but if he keeps going to the net, he’ll get some that will count.

Calvin Pickard (B-) – The first goal was one that Pickard would want back, as it slipped through his legs without a huge screen.  He made some key saves in the second period when the Avs were on their heels a bit.

Ben Smith (C) – I almost forgot to write about Ben Smith because he just kind of disappears out there.  I think he actually disappeared and didn’t play a lot in the second half of the game, but he did a nice job screening the goalie on Wiercioch’s goal.

Carl Soderberg (D+) – A tough night for Soderberg, and I don’t like the construction of that line at all.  He made a huge shot block in the third period when Pickard was scrambling a bit.

Fedor Tyutin (C) – He should never be out there against top players, in my opinion, but Bednar is trusting him a bit more than Zadorov and Wiercioch right now.  He got a little lucky on the disallowed goal, as he was in trouble against Malkin.

Patrick Wiercioch (C+) – A great job getting his shot through on the goal, as it had to have gone past about 6 skaters.  You see the good and the bad with him, and taking another bad penalty tonight was some of the bad.

Nikita Zadorov (C+) – The penalty call on him in the first was a bit soft, but he played steady the rest of the way.  He made some nice plays with his stick in the second period, including a few on the penalty kill.  Used his size a bit more tonight than Saturday.

The Avs are back on the ice again tomorrow night against the Washington Capitals.  The game starts at 5 PM MST.