Avs Game 37 Grades: Squeaker

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C-

I didn’t like the fourth line in this one much. Bellemare had the worst shot share on the team, and had some good moments on the penalty kill, but was out there for the horrendous penalty kill that led to the Blues only goal and had a chance to clear not long before it went in.

Andre Burakovsky – F

Burky was easily the worst player on the ice. I thought it was going to be one of those games where he gets one chance and buries it, but any time the puck came to him, it was taken off his stick with ease. Not a good night.

J.T. Compher – C-

Another quiet night for Compher, but I did like him playing a little more chippy, with a nice hit on Krug in the first period…even if it was a little late.

Joonas Donskoi – C+

The third line was a little more up and down, and a great shift in the first period that really kick-started the Avs after a slow start. The powerplay was pretty bad, and he was on that top unit, although not a big part of it.

Samuel Girard – C

There were certainly times in this game where Girard looked a little tired. Late in the game, he went back one on one to get the puck on a dump-in and was easily beaten by Perron for a chance. He looked a little upset with himself at times with some plays.

Ryan Graves – B-

The penalty kill that led to the O’Reilly goal was a mess, with him having a few chances to clear and failing. Other than that, I liked his game at even strength for the most part, and he was super low event, which you will take.

Philipp Grubauer – A-

Felt like his rebound control wasn’t quite as sharp as it has been most of the season, but he was making the stops on the second shots as well as the first. Great save on a breakaway in the second period and just looks calm in net.

Tyson Jost – C

Jost beat up the puck a bit tonight, and his lack of speed was evident at times. He got his nose dirty on some shifts, which is what he has to do to be successful, but a pretty average night from him.

Nazem Kadri – C

Missed on his breakaway in the second period, and I’m not sure you’ll get a better, more clear breakaway than that. He continues to generate shots on net but isn’t using his teammates all that well. There’s been times in the last few games where he has tried to stickhandle around several players while standing still, and that’s difficult to do in the NHL.

Gabriel Landeskog – D

Picked up an assist, but not his best evening overall. He didn’t have a great night with the puck, particularly on the powerplay, and his penalty in the first period was one you just can’t take when the refs have already called two against the other team.

Jacob MacDonald – B

He didn’t play a lot, barely hitting 10 minutes, but really liked what he did out there. He had one iffy pinch in the second period but had coverage on the backcheck from the forwards.

Nathan MacKinnon – B

Not a good night on the powerplay, but seems to be getting his goal-scoring mojo. Who knew the key to that was throwing a helmet at some dude’s face?

Cale Makar – A-

Tonight was a bit of a masterclass in defense from Makar, using his stick to break up several plays. The game-winning goal was classic Makar, using his head fake and skating to create a shooting lane, and that’s all he needed.

Valeri Nichushkin – B-

Great shift in the first period on the forecheck and in front of the net to really get things going for the team. Had a nice rush late in the third but missed the net by just a little bit.

Liam O’Brien – C

Uh, it was a good fight I guess. Beyond that, not much to really notice from him. Had a nice feed to Bellemare in front late, which was one of the better shifts of the evening from that line.

Mikko Rantanen – C

Just an OK game from Rantanen and the Blues really keyed in on him defensively, not giving him much room at all. He had one chance with his cut to the middle move in the second period, but ran into his own guy and didn’t get as good a shot off as he wanted.

Dan Renouf – INC

Again, only played 5 minutes. I just can’t grade a guy who gets a few shifts in a game.

Brandon Saad – C

Took a shot off the knee in the second period, and didn’t look super healthy after that. Even before then, another quiet night for him.

Devon Toews – B-

Some tough moments at times in the defensive zone, as he played a ton and the Blues forechecked him hard. Great breakout pass on the opening goal, beating every Blues forecheck with just a single pass. The good stuff, right there.