Avs Game 38 Grades - I'm Speechless! I am without Speech!

The Avalanche created absolutely nothing offensively, finishing with 17 weak shots on goal, and lost to the Calgary Flames 4-1.

How did each player perform?  Let’s find out…

Tyson Barrie (D) – Barrie has been playing well lately.  He was was more or less invisible tonight.  Considering the Avs only had 17 shots, that’s not surprising.

Francois Beauchemin (F) – They keep throwing him out on the PK, but he keeps standing around doing nothing when the puck goes in the net.  He’s been on the ice for the last 6 PP goals by opposing teams, including 3 tonight.

Rene Bourque (F) – You had to see this coming.  He scored some nice, simple goals early in the year, but there’s a reason no one wanted him this summer.  At one point, MacKinnon passed it to him, and he literally was not paying attention at all.  He’s bad.

Joe Colborne (C-) – Man is he soft on the puck, but he at least showed some nice burst on a penalty kill in the second period in which he created a 2 on 1, that Grigorenko blew.

Blake Comeau (F) – Two more penalties, one of which basically blew the game open.  And he was benched after that.

Matt Duchene (C) – Bless his soul for continuing to try.  I have no idea why he didn’t get a penalty shot in the second period.  It could have changed the game.

Cody Goloubef (D) – He played.  That’s about all I can say about him.  Did pretty much nothing, which isn’t terrible for him.

Mikhail Grigorenko (F) – He bombed one of the few decent chances the Avs had tonight, missing the net by a mile on a 2 on 1 in the second.  There is just not enough there.

Jarome Iginla (D) – Why did the refs not let him fight at the end?  Doesn’t make any sense.  He got an assist on the goal at the end of the game, so maybe that will raise his trade value, but another penalty 100 feet away from his net.

Gabriel Landeskog (D-) – The one strong thing he did tonight was a fantastic back check at the end of the first period to break up a 3 on 2.  Other than that, a penalty and no offensive push at all.

Nathan MacKinnon (F) – MacK usually has at least one big push a game on the rush.  He didn’t have anything going tonight.  Just one shot on goal.

Cody McLeod (D) – Coming off one of his best games of the year, and he didn’t do anything other than take a penalty late in the game.

John Mitchell (F) – This guy is just beyond infuriating.  He’s the same style player he was when he signed here, but he seems to be getting worse.

Calvin Pickard (B) – I wouldn’t have blamed him for just walking off the ice tonight.  He got no help whatsoever.

Mikko Rantanen (C) – One of the few reason to continue watching this team.  He’s shooting more on the power play, but not at all at even strength.  I would love to see him take it to the net a few times when he rushes down the wing.

Carl Soderberg (D) – He had his best even strength scoring chance in ages early in the game, but couldn’t tuck it past the goalie.  Went quiet the rest of the night.  Notice a trend?

Patrick Wiercioch (C) – Nice accidangles goal at the end of the game.  It might get him more money on his next contract.

Fedor Tyutin (F) – This guys game has fallen off a cliff since returning from his last injury, and he is a mess on the penalty kill, just flopping around, stopping nothing.  Pucks just keep going off him and into the net.

Nikita Zadorov (D) – Same can be said about Z as with Barrie.  If he’s not having a good game, this Avs team just isn’t good enough to get by.  Tonight, no one was any good, and this is what you got.

The Avs play one more game before a much needed bye week, as they take on the New York Islanders on Friday night.