Avs Game 28 Grades: Complete domination

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B-

I liked his game. It was completely fine. Jump right from the hop set the tone for the game. That’s what you want from the fourth line. Seriously, though, some production would be nice. No complaints about PEB today.

Andre Burakovsky – C-

In a game where the Avs were swarming the Wild for about 85% of the game, too often that 15% came against Burakovsky. After a week of looking completely locked in and engaged, he floated his way through this one. Given the context, this wasn’t a bad one for him to not be at his best.

Bowen Byram – B

I love this kid. He makes a couple plays with the puck every single game that make me audibly laugh. Best part of tonight was not letting Jordan Greenway bully him after Greenway gave Grubauer an extra shove or two. Byram got in his face and didn’t back down from the much larger human. He refuses to be bullied. I don’t give a damn about his shot share numbers today.

Matt Calvert – B

You can’t stop me from loving watching Matt Calvert play hockey. He’s an energizer bunny and I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Avs have kicked up their play a bunch since his return to the lineup. He helps set the tone of expectations every night.

Joonas Donskoi – C

I hated his penalty in the neutral zone with no threat whatsoever. Just a totally needless slash. Made up for it with a breakaway goal in the third period to essentially put this game away.

Samuel Girard – A+

lol. What more can you say about Sam Girard’s evolution? He will regularly be referred to as one of the league’s “most underrated players” for the next five years. He’s playing great hockey right now and that pass he made to Rantanen for Colorado’s second goal was finger-lickin’ good. It is incredibly fun to watch a player realizing his potential and Girard is doing just that.

Ryan Graves – B-

Hmmm….Makar and Byram return, Graves gets to settle in a bit and the pressure comes off him and he produces a MUCH better overall game. Not a coincidence and what I think will be a good start to a redemptive second half.

Philipp Grubauer – B+

Yet again not faced with a large workload, yet again does his thing humming along quietly. Not a major complaint on the Rask goal. You’d love to see him snag a clean look like that but it was a genuinely great shot. Arguably the only truly clean goal to beat Grubauer in the last week-plus of games.

Tyson Jost – C-

I think his limitations are really showing as he’s being tasked with trying to be involved in a higher responsibility. He’s not failing, but not exactly thriving. Had a great sequence on the PK where he outmuscled a much larger Nick Bjugstad, stripped him of the puck and cleared the zone. His play at evens needs to start to match his PK work.

Nazem Kadri – B-

The only guy on his line that really seemed engaged at the same level as previous games. The second line was due for a night off and his linemates took it but I still really liked Kadri’s game overall. Strong effort and the edge he brings adds a little snarl to the Avs when teams try to push them around.

Gabriel Landeskog – A+

The subtle little tip of the puck on Colorado’s first goal and the hard work to give Colorado their third goal. Effort, skill, subtlety. Effective. Classic Landeskog.

Jacob MacDonald – A

Got an assist! Points for the madman who refuses to stop barnstorming the NHL with his unique aggression. If he ever develops into a guy who can help on special teams, he may just be starting a long stint in the NHL.

Nathan MacKinnon – A+

Got lucky on his goal with the bounce but was once again a dominant force all over the ice. Looked much more like the player we’ve seen the last couple of years as he was taking no prisoners on any of his shifts. Reminded everyone in Minnesota what a true superstar looks like.

Cale Makar – B+

Quiet dominance in his first game back. Very few jaw-dropping highlights, a rarity in his career against Minnesota, but he just did his thing tonight in quarterbacking a great power play and destroying at evens.

Valeri Nichushkin – C+

Like the rest of his line, very quiet overall. Great shot metrics, per usual, but very little overall impact on this game. If you’re going to have a quiet once, at least do it without being on the ice for anything against you. Check and check.

Logan O’Connor – B

Didn’t notice him as much and he botched a golden scoring chance but he was completely fine. You might notice, I don’t have a lot to nitpick tonight.

Mikko Rantanen – A+

The skill involved in his two goals…he just goes to the net and then chokes up on his stick to redirect a beautiful Girard pass into the net. Then the tip of the puck going into the o-zone followed by an incredible backhand top shelf? What the hell can a team do about any of that? Special night for the big moose.

Brandon Saad – C

Not a lot from Saad tonight. That’s okay. They didn’t need the help.

Devon Toews – A+

With Devon Toews on the ice at 5v5, the Avs outshot Minnesota 18-1. Actual shots on goal. Not attempts. Actual shots on goal. As a defenseman, what more can you ask for? He was personally denied multiple times from scoring a goal. He’s been pushing lately and it shows. A stellar, dominant effort.