Avs Game 26 Grades: Ranger no danger

Darcy Kuemper – B+

I said on the pod he was getting a B, but in retrospect I just thought he was too good tonight to crush him for the second goal. I hated the rebound and the extreme panic response that followed and took him out of contention for making the second save, but the rest of his game was awesome, including the moment following that second goal where he composed himself and locked it down. In the two most competitive games of the season, he’s been very good.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel – C+

Anytime NAK doesn’t take a penalty, it’s a victory. I really liked him in the first period where it felt like he was noticeable and making things happen. Didn’t love him after that but neither did the Rangers.

Justin Barron – B

Fantastic underlying metrics (16 CF, 3 CA) and a near-assist on what became the game-winning goal. Moved well, made good decisions with the puck and barely had to play any defense at all. He earned more bites at the apple.

Andre Burakovsky – C+

This is where I kind of shrug without saying a lot because I don’t have strong feelings about his game. Free assist on the first goal and was right back to missing the net multiple times in this game but that’s life as a shooter. Avoided a lot of the soft nonsense that has been frustrating to watch in recent weeks. Quiet game, but the good kind.

J.T. Compher – B

Had an ‘A’ stolen from him by goaltender interference shenanigans but that was a great tip and finish from him all the same. Got an assist because a puck hit his body, which is very Compher-esque this year. Made one really nice defensive play where the Avs were hemmed in the zone and he won a board battle, ducked a Ranger and cleared the puck into space and allowed for a change. Good shot metrics for once!

Samuel Girard – C

The Avs are in a tough spot with Girard. He and Makar have never really meshed the way we all envisioned when they broke into the NHL as ‘Turn and Burn’ but due to injuries, they’re the obvious top pairing to roll with. Girard is ill-fitted for this role, as we’ve seen his limitations time and time again, but the Avs don’t have a good #4 to put Girard with, so they just have to make due with what they know isn’t a great fit. That’s how you get iffy nights like tonight, where Girard was okay but not his best.

Darren Helm – C

He’s barely playing at this point, suggesting his spot in the lineup might not be as safe as we all assumed it would be this season. Very little is happening with him on the ice, good or bad. He’s not hurting them, so that’s good.

Erik Johnson – C

He loses some battles he used to easily win and I think he knows he’s going to lose them and tries to anticipate what’s coming next but too frequently loses the guessing game, too, and gives up a decent chance. He’s okay. It’s really hard to see him beyond the bottom pairing anymore and 22 minutes is a lot of ice for a guy whose injuries forced some physical decline a year or two early.

Jack Johnson – C

It was okay. The shot metrics look great but when you dig into how that sausage got made, you’ll see Makar elevated JJ’s numbers a bit (not entirely, though!). It’s passable, it’s fine, it’s vanilla ice cream. He’s on a league-minimum contract playing a role the team was badly hoping he wouldn’t be forced into. Everyone is getting by, but him losing PK time is a huge red flag.

Tyson Jost – C

His primary linemates tonight were Newhook and O’Connor. This wasn’t a case of bad fourth line composition dragging Jost down, just a night where that line didn’t do very well together. Jost chose to shoot on a late break as the Avs were trying to finish off the Rangers and normally we’d have seen him pass there. Knowing the outcome (he shot wide), I wanted him to pass, but had the pass not worked I’d be writing about me wishing he had shot. The real answer is to score, I guess.

Nazem Kadri – B-

I thought Kadri played pretty well most of the night. He didn’t look 100% to me but still registered a multi-point night because that’s just his life now, apparently. That said, the casual approach with the empty net was pretty frustrating. He got a little cute and while the Rangers forward made a nice play on the puck, Kadri has to do better and end that game right there.

Kurtis MacDermid – B

His ice time doubled as a defenseman and he still played less than 10 minutes. The staff understands his limitations and it’s obvious they’re only playing him on the back end out of necessity. He’s doing a much better job of doing the things he was acquired to do, however, as he held his own against Reaves and didn’t make any egregious errors in his own end. Keep doing the tough guy leadership things and stay in the lineup.

Nathan MacKinnon – B

Not to be the guy in section 352, but I spend most of the game now yelling at MacKinnon to shoooooooooot. He had five SOG tonight and six last game, so it’s not like he’s ignoring me, but it still feels like he passes up so many good shots every night in search of the perfect pass. Like the one to Rantanen to open the scoring. That was sweet.

Cale Makar – B+

27 minutes for Makar as he takes on some of the load shouldered normally by Devon Toews. He added another goal and just keeps pouring ’em in. Not an exceptional night, but pretty damn solid.

Mikhail Maltsev – C+

I think he belongs in the NHL. He makes one or two really slick little plays every night that make me think there’s something there if given enough time. He avoided the big mistake tonight, which is a very important part of his story.

Alex Newhook – C+

It was just okay for most of tonight from Newhook. A nice shot here and there and a decent look at times but he passed up what appeared to be a legit scoring chance on the power play and seemed to struggle a touch tonight. He still treaded water analytically and it’s very encouraging when a young player doesn’t have his ‘A’ game but doesn’t go to pieces.

Valeri Nichushkin – A+

Am I overreacting to his individual effort on the fourth goal? Maybe. I don’t care. Where is that sense of urgency from everyone else, especially Kadri when the net was freaking empty? Where’s that passion to finish the Rangers off, once and for all? In Val Nichushkin apparently.

Logan O’Connor – C

I barely made note of LOC. In fact, he didn’t appear in any of my game notes tonight. One of his quietest games in a while.

Mikko Rantanen – B-

I miss seeing him as an actual threat on the power play as a shooting threat because him guiding traffic from behind the net is sort of an odd scheme that’s not producing much in the way of process or results. Everyone just looks uncomfortable. Also you’re taking a 30-goal scorer out of goal-scoring territory. The little chip next to the net wasn’t that cool of a play, fam.