Avs Game 43 Grades: Vaccine dub

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B

The fourth line set the tone early as the Blues did come out pretty hot, and Bellemare cooled them off just a little bit with his laser beam of a shot. The PK was a little scattershot overall but Bellemare was solid and got the team going when they needed it.

Andre Burakovsky – C

The second line was cycling incredibly for the first 30 minutes of the game, getting a lot of zone time and was the most consistent line for the first part of the game, but fell off in the third. Burky had a brutal turnover at the defensive blue line in the second period when it seemed like fatigue may be hitting the Avs.

J.T. Compher – A-

Other than the penalty on the powerplay, a great performance from Compher and his production has been pretty solid since he came back from injury. Some didn’t like him on the powerplay, and he’s not ideal there, but he did dig the puck out of the corner on Rantanen’s goal.

Devan Dubnyk – C+

He looked a little unsteady in the early minutes, with the first shot hitting the post, and in the third even had some iffy moments. The second Blues goal was rough. The second period was his best, as his rebound control was solid. Above .900, so you take it.

Samuel Girard – B-

Made a great play at the end of the game to get his stick on a shot that was coming backdoor and clear it out of harm’s way. Was just a half-second late on the Dunn goal to get to his stick, but had plenty of spins that, for whatever reason, still catch teams off guard.

Ryan Graves – C-

Really sloppy first and third periods from him, particularly with the puck, with a few turnovers, including one trying to leave from behind his own net. Big block on the penalty kill in the third, which is pretty much why he’s in there.

Tyson Jost – B-

The penalty was…bad. If he had just moved his feet he could have skated it out, but got caught flat-footed and was dead set on dumping it out. Beyond that, another solid game from him, and a great play to create the Saad goal.

Nazem Kadri – C

Tonight felt a little better for him, although he’s trying to pick every corner with his shot. You can tell the teammates are behind him, as he made a big shot block early in the game and the bench went wild.

Gabriel Landeskog – B-

It’s wild, because it sure seemed like the top line was stuck in their end a heck of a lot by the O’Reilly line, and yet…they came out well on top in the shot share game. Great screen on the Rantanen goal that I was almost certain hit his foot. Tripping penalty was not ideal.

Jacob MacDonald – C-

Wheels are starting to fall off a bit here, although I’m sure playing with the full face mask is going to affect him in some ways. Did have a nice shift on the Compher goal but didn’t love his game.

Nathan MacKinnon – B-

There were times where you could see that he didn’t have his legs, particularly in the defensive zone, but did have a few plays where he was smart and covered for the defenseman. Another game where he just wires six shots on net.

Cale Makar – C

Up and down defensively, with good moments and bad moments. He was rushing the puck up the ice at every opportunity against Arizona but that wasn’t happening here. Did like him  on the penalty kill, although we may not see that much longer with Nemeth’s arrival.

Valeri Nichushkin – B-

Back on the third line with Jost and back in his comfort zone a little bit. Not always great moments on the penalty kill from him, but liked him a lot at even strength and he and Jost just seem to work together.

Liam O’Brien – A

Hey, I’ve been tough on him, but have to give him credit when it’s due. I don’t think we’ll ever see another two-point game from him, and the feed to Bellemare was sneaky good.

Mikko Rantanen – B+

Love it when Mikko drops the one-time bombs, and he seems to love doing it in St. Louis. Started the Saad goal with a nice play along the wall to get it out to Jost. Took some more beatings, including getting tossed into the net by Perron.

Brandon Saad – B-

Well, he keeps scoring. He’s not generating a ton of shots on his own, but he’s finding himself in the right space, and that seems to be a common occurrence for him. It’s getting hard to grade him because honestly, not noticing him a ton in games.

Carl Soderberg – B-

Liked his game a lot at even strength. He was the guy you remember, making smart plays and protecting the puck along the boards. Covered defensively for Kadri a few times as the third man high. He also is still the same guy who refuses to shoot the puck, and not great on his first game back on the penalty kill.

Conor Timmins – B-

A solid return to the lineup, as he seemed to be moving better than before. Great play on the Compher goal to pick up his first NHL point, as he was really active in the zone. Had a few moments stuck in his own end but overall was just fine.

Devon Toews – C

Had some good chances, but the shot selection wasn’t always great. He had time and space to move in on a chance in the second period and wait for a screen but instead, floated a high writer right into Binnington’s glove.