Avs Game 49 Grades: And...Break!

Pierre Edouard Bellemare – C

Bellemare didn’t do much to give Zadorov an outlet on the first goal, but there’s not much you can put on him there. Other than that, a relatively quiet game from him overall and did decently on the Avs only PK of the game.

Andre Burakovsky – A

Another game where Burakovsky’s playmaking shined through. He hit Kadri backdoor for a goal and found Graves all alone for another one. Both passes crossed through the royal road, something he’s been doing a lot lately. Great finish for him heading into the All-Star Break.

Matt Calvert – C-

Calvert didn’t do a whole lot this game, to be honest, but his most noticeable moment was unfortunately when he took a double minor in the first period with a high stick. The Avs were able to kill the penalty off rather than staring down a two-goal deficit to an awful team.

Ian Cole – C+

The Z/Cole pair was dominant in terms of shot metrics in this one but were out there for two goals against. Still, I don’t think you can pin either of those on Cole. Picked up another assist on the empty netter, as this one went off his shin pad to MacKinnon. The magical assist season for Cole continues.

J.T. Compher – D

I really don’t like Compher on that line. I get what they are trying to do there with a right shot, but he just doesn’t seem to work with the other two the way that Nichushkin or even Nieto have.

Pavel Francouz – B-

Frankie had no chance on the opening goal, but I didn’t like the second one all that much. The third one was not a ton of help from his defensemen overall. He did well to hold down the fort while the Avs were down 1-0, including some big saves shorthanded.

Samuel Girard – B

Girard spun some poor Wings forward into oblivion in the third period and was moving a lot in the offensive zone all game long. He was unfortunate to step onto the ice just before the Wings entered the zone on a rush to pick up a goal late in the third.

Ryan Graves – A

So, uh, how much money is this guy going to make this summer? It’s not easy for defensemen to score goals at even strength, and he’s going to go well over 10 at this rate. If he hovers around 30 points at the end of the year, his agent is going to be foaming at the mouth.

Erik Johnson – C+

I liked the way EJ and Girard were working off each other in the offensive zone. There’s clearly chemistry there, and they are good friends off the ice. It would be nice to see EJ pick up a few points here and there but his role on this team has clearly changed.

Nazem Kadri – A+

Even though I have no idea what Kadri was doing flopping around on the Wings second goal, he scored his first power play goal in what feels like a lifetime, and added probably the biggest goal of the game in the third, as it started the Avs momentum as they busted the game open. He picked up another assist later in the game and dominated in the face-off circle as well.

Vladislav Kamenev – B

Kamenev basically ate up space on Nieto’s goal, and he occupied the front of the net and took a Wings player with him, not allowing Howard to see anything. He drew a penalty as well in the second period. Donskoi will be back after the break, so we’ll see how they handle him then, but he’s done quite well in his stint.

Tyson Jost – A

Got stopped on a breakaway in the first period, but did a great job to set up Nieto for the game-winner. He’s put together back to back strong showings, and I’m sure he’s disappointed that the break is coming when it is.

Gabriel Landeskog – C

No points for Landy, but he gained the zone just prior to Kadri’s huge goal in the second period and did well to hold onto the puck under pressure. His rate of production is down, based on his minutes, and I think this break might be good for him to re-energize.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

Two more goals for the big guy. Remember his rookie year when he would beaver tap all over the ice asking for the puck? On his goal tonight, all he did was raise his stick in the air because he knew Makar would find him. It’s also less likely to draw attention than banging your stick on the ice.

Cale Makar – A

Makar is really good at getting his shot through and was looking for tips a lot tonight. It worked out on Kadri’s goal. Moments later, he did what only he can do, dancing around a forward and finding MacKinnon backdoor for an easy tap in. Now, he gets a week off to rest his body as he heads into the second half of his rookie season.

Valeri Nichushkin – B+

Poor guy gets a ton of breakaways but just can’t finish, as was the case in the third period in this one. After a rough start on the second line, that trio has found their footing lately, and he does a lot of the dirty work for them.

Matt Nieto – B

Talk about a guy who needed a goal. This was the week for guys breaking long slumps, and Nieto picked up his first goal since December 23 in the third period.

Mikko Rantanen – B+

They were just secondary assists, and I’m not so sure I would have picked him as the third star, but two assists going into the break hopefully help him. Maybe he’s still battling some issues with the ankle, as he hasn’t looked right, but he gets some time off the regroup.

Nikita Zadorov – D

Eight shot attempts, the best shot metrics on the blue line, and two assists. Sounds good, right? Sure, Z did some good in this one, but what the hell was that on the first goal by the Red Wings? That’s the stuff he’s been avoiding, and it can’t come back into his game. Luckily for him, it came against an awful team and the Avs weren’t phased.