Avs Game 24 Grades: Thankful for a win

Pierre Edouard Bellemare – B+

The Avs were a little disjointed in the first period, but Bellemare seemed to be in on half of their scoring chances, including one off a nice feed from Nichushkin. His scoring has kind of gone back to the guy he’s always been in his career, and that’s fine. He crushed it in the face-off circle, winning seven of his eight draws.

Andre Burakovsky – D+

I’ll be honest and say I thought Burakovsky was struggling before he left the game. He was holding onto the puck far too long before making a decision. The five minute power play was a bit of a disaster for him as well, with missed passes and pucks just missing him. He didn’t play at all in the third, and the Avs just can’t afford to lose a guy who consistently produced this season.

Ian Cole – C+

Only really had a few issues with Cole in this one, but they ended up being somewhat major. On the only goal by Edmonton, he stopped following his guy behind the net, who ended up scoring. It’s tough to say on that one because MacKinnon looked very frustrated that Cole did it, but it also could have been frustration on his own part for not switching. The other is the penalty, where he just got beat and had to take the man down. Other than that, I thought he played alright, and that pairing was limited in minutes and that helped them.

J.T. Compher – C

His rush to the net in the third period was nice, but I think the penalty was deserved, as he just kind of went straight at the goaltender. Luckily, it was canceled out so nothing came of it. I like the shooting but there’s just a lot offensively that I think is lacking from his game right now.

Joonas Donskoi – B-

It’s funny how hockey is. I thought Donskoi had a brutal shift in the second period, with a few turnovers, including an ugly one up the middle. Then he finishes his shift by just getting enough of the puck out to Kadri for the Avs’ first goal. The play he made on the Nieto goal in the third was high end skill, and required some patience with the puck. He had a rough go of it on the power play overall but two assists isn’t a bad night.

Samuel Girard – B

We started to get some flashes of the old Sam Girard tonight that we’ve come to expect. He still had a few issues with the puck, including one on the four on four in the second period, but also some great work breaking the puck out. He had one in the third period where he just escaped two forecheckers behind his own net like it was nothing.

Ryan Graves – A

I really don’t think it’s a coincidence that Graves had his best game in weeks after being put in a third-pairing role more suited for him. He just can’t be overextended. His big hit in the second period may have changed the game, as it got the Avs some momentum when they really needed it. Just a really strong performance from him.

Philipp Grubauer – A

The only goal may have been weak, but he made some incredible saves in the first to make sure it was just one goal against. After that, the Avs did a great job of defending around him, as he only faced seven shots in the second and third periods.

Nazem Kadri – A

You brought the guy in to be a difference-maker behind MacKinnon and he did just that, scoring the huge goal to break the ice for the Avs. After that, his confidence seemed to soar, with some nice moves coming off the right wing for shot attempts, including one that hit the post. Beyond that, another ho-hum dominant night in the face-off circle.

Vladislav Kamenev – D

If there was one guy who really struggled with the puck tonight, it was Kamenev. The power play in the first was a mess for him. He did end up being on the ice for zero shots on goal at the Avs net, so that’s something.

Tyson Jost – D

Jost managed to draw his ninth penalty of the season tonight, putting him up there with MacKinnon and Kadri on the team. Beyond that, it wasn’t a great outing for him. His lack of burst was obvious in the first period when he was caught from behind by Klefbom on a rush, and just couldn’t get to a few area passes from Kadri.

Nathan MacKinnon – A+

The most impressive part of what MacKinnon is doing right now is that he’s doing it with everyone and elevating their game. I can’t be the only one who was hoping he’d shoot in on the two on one, but he basically gave Nieto an empty net to bury the puck into. Another 17 (!) shot attempts tonight, and two more points. He even had a good night in the face-off circle.

Cale Makar – B+

I think it would be fair to say Makar had a tougher night with the puck than he usually does, but he went head to head against two stars and more than held his own defensively, finishing +15/-7 in almost ten minutes of ice time against McDavid. That’s impressive for a rookie and shows just how much faith Bednar already has in him.

Valeri Nichushkin – A

This could have very easily been a multi-point night for Nichushkin. He picked up an assist on O’Connor’s first NHL goal, but also fed Bellemare on a two on one, hit the post himself, and made some other nice plays. He looked very confident tonight after finally beating a goaltender last game.

Matt Nieto – A

The goal was great, but it started in the defensive end with his stick work to knock the puck away from the Oilers player in the slot and get the puck to Donskoi. From there, he just had to finish. Made an absurd bounce pass to O’Connor on the penalty kill in the second period that would have been a very pretty assist.

Logan O’Connor – A

I think it would be fair to say he’s been the best forward callup the Avs have used so far. He’s used his speed well, and congratulations to him for getting his first goal tonight. He also had a moment he can tell his kids about someday, taking the puck away from McDavid on the penalty kill for a clear.

Calle Rosen – B

He had some iffy moments in the first, including a rough near giveaway up the first, but also made some really nice passes on the breakout, which is what the Avs needed. He was put in a position to succeed, being given reasonable minutes and showing well with it. His speed on the puck retrieval was very noticeable and a nice change of pace.

T.J. Tynan – C-

Honestly, I didn’t notice Tynan a ton tonight. The only time I noticed him was when he got elbowed in the jaw by Adam Larsson. He took one for the team there.

Nikita Zadorov – A-

Bednar challenged him by tasking him with shutting down Connor McDavid, and he was up to it. He’s done well matching up with him in the past because of his skating ability and reach and it worked tonight. I think the Avs need to look to commit to him being a shut down guy, because it simplifies things for him. He had some issues with the puck in the first, but hard to argue with that defensive showing. That was the best he’s looked with Makar in terms of chemistry as well.