Avs Game 27 Grades: From Russia with Love

Pierre Edouard Bellemare – B+

Bellemare and his line looked really good now that he’s got his long lost brother Matt Calvert back. They pinned the Leafs down low several times and got the Avs momentum whenever they really needed it. The scoring has normalized for Bellemare, but the solid play overall is still there.

Matt Calvert – B+

Did everyone miss Calvert or what? He stepped back in and was his usual tenacious self on the forecheck and in the defensive zone. I loved him attacking the net from behind in the second period for a stuff attempt. For a guy coming off a head injury, seeing no fear is incredible.

Ian Cole – B

I didn’t like Cole a ton in the first period but after that, he settled down really nicely. The penalties have slowed down over the last few games, which is huge if he’s going to be playing limited minutes and on the penalty kill.

J.T. Compher – D

The second line was probably the weak point on the night for the Avs, and Compher didn’t have a great night overall. He had a nice defensive breakup at one point, but zero shot attempts in almost 14 minutes of even strength ice time just isn’t going to cut it. Managed to take the only penalty of the night for the Avs.

Joonas Donskoi – B

Another goal from Donskoi into the empty net and he was robbed by Andersen in front at one point as well from another. He does a lot of dirty work on that line, as far as digging for pucks in the corner. I don’t see how you take him off that line, personally. Spread the love around with Kadri’s line.

Samuel Girard – A+

Sam is back. When he’s exiting and entering the zone with ease carrying the puck around, you know he’s on his game, and he did that all night long. He passed up a few shot attempts, but other than that, he was tremendous all night long.

Ryan Graves – C

He had a nice hit in the third period, but I thought he struggled a little bit tonight. That pairing was the Avs worst by a good margin. He tends to struggle a bit when they have to play him too much, and he passed over the 20-minute point in this one. When he’s kept at a reasonable range, he’s just fine.

Philipp Grubauer – A

Grubi needed this one. He needed a low scoring game where he could outduel the opposing goaltender and that’s what he did. The defense in front of him was generally good overall, but Grubauer was on it from the start and closed it out with a purpose. 39 shots is still a lot and he held down the fort.

Nazem Kadri – D

You love to see the big hit in the third period, as that’s the edge he can bring a lot of nights. I loved him going for the empty net at the end. With a two-goal lead, you can live with that. Other than that, he didn’t have a great night, and surprisingly, got pounded in the face-off circle.

Tyson Jost – D

Jost, like Kamenev over the last several weeks, was stuck as the fourth line center with random wingers. I was not a big fan of his game overall, as plays just died on his stick. Didn’t win any of his face-off attempts either.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

I have to say, that was a rather pedestrian performance from MacKinnon offensively at even strength. He only ended up with three shot attempts on the evening, so he was held in check for the most part. I was a pretty big fan of his overall game though. He won the majority of his face-offs and looked engaged defensively. When you’re not at your best offensively (still ended up with two points), that sort of all-around play can set you apart.

Cale Makar – D

He had a magical rush in the first period but had a sloppier night overall, and that pair got beat down in shot attempts. It looked like he was exiting the zone a little too early on the only goal of the game for the Leafs and that let Hyman get open. There was other issues with that play, but that extra burst up the ice cost him a bit there.

Valeri Nichushkin – A+

This dude was a man on a mission tonight. EIGHT shot attempts, five of which went on net, and a lot of them were high danger. If anyone deserved a goal tonight, it was him, and a shorthanded beauty to boot. You have to love how he’s playing in all aspects of the game right now. He was the best forward on the ice.

Matt Nieto – D

Like his linemates, there were some struggles in this one. The best thing for him will be Landeskog returning because it likely means he’s going to get bumped down to a more reasonable spot in the lineup where he’s much more effective.

Logan O’Connor – C

Of the fourth line, I liked O’Connor the best. He had some grindy moments down low, and was the only one that could get the puck on net. Three shot attempts on just nine shifts is a good way to make an impact in limited time.

Mikko Rantanen – B

Mikko, overall, didn’t look that explosive on the evening, and conditioning may still be an issue for him. That being said, Burakovsky is likely not making that pass that Rantanen made across the royal road on the MacKinnon goal, and that’s just a credit to how skilled Mikko truly is.

Calle Rosen – B

I really liked how active Rosen was being in the offensive zone in the second period. That’s the type of stuff he can add to this lineup, and his breakouts were still very efficient overall. I thought this was his most complete game to date.

T.J. Tynan – D

A lot of things look like they are happening with Tynan because he’s a very good skater, but nothing ever comes of it. Zero shot attempts on the evening. He just very much looked like “a guy” tonight. If Landeskog is back tomorrow, he’s who should get bumped.

Nikita Zadorov – A

Another night, and another star forward who stays off the scoresheet. Zadorov played the most against Matthews, and won the shot share and scoring chance battle. He even had some nice rushes up the ice, which you like to see. The face mask is really forcing him to not just depend on his physicality to succeed, but the other skills he has, like his skating and reach.