Avs Game 50 Grades: Three in a row

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C-

Got bailed out on a clean lost face-off in the second period that the Sharks rang off the iron. Beyond that, not much to watch, as the Avs didn’t kill much in terms of penalties, and with being down most of the game, Bellemare didn’t play a ton.

Andre Burakovsky – B+

As soon as he got the puck in overtime, I knew the game was over. You don’t give him that kind of space to walk in and shoot. Great play on the second Avs goal as well to cut to the middle and get the shot off. He’s the game-breaker away from the top line, and tonight, that’s what he did.

J.T. Compher – C

Bednar said he went with his gut instinct by playing him more than the other fourth-liners late in the game. I personally didn’t notice him a whole lot, and that seems to be the case in most games.

Joonas Donskoi – B-

Deserves a lot of credit for a great play down low defensively late when the Avs were still down by one goal. Graves and Nemeth both attacked in the corner defensively for some reason, and Donskoi broke up a pass to Kane when he would have been wide open in front. He also took a heavy beating in front this game.

Ryan Graves – D

Great to have him back, but not his best game overall. Penalty comes from getting caught with a pinch and had a wild pinch in the third period that led to a breakaway against.

Philipp Grubauer – D

Avs were super sloppy with the puck in the second period, and while he did have to make some great saves, he bit super hard on the Hertl goal and was way out of position.

Tyson Jost – C

Got pretty lucky not to be called for interference on the second Avs goal. I know it was incidental (or maybe he’s good at selling it), but that gets called usually. His line bled shots against, surprisingly.

Nazem Kadri – C

I’ll just be honest, as I thought Kadri was bad most of the night again. Did draw a penalty, but it was not his night again. That being said, none of that matters right now, because he got the monkey off his back. This team is going nowhere in the playoffs if he’s not scoring, so it’s crucial to get him going as the season finishes up here.

Gabriel Landeskog – B+

Just a brutal giveaway on the third Sharks goal for the breakaway against. Didn’t make the easy play when he was surrounded. Beyond that, the top line had their way with the Sharks all night long, and Landy’s work on the forecheck to force a turnover and score to get the Avs within one was massive. Big face-off wins.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

Not a great backcheck on the fourth Sharks goal, but that might legitimately have been the one time he had to defend all game. He owned the Sharks and had the puck half the night. Only two assists to show for it, but another standard 15 shot attempt evening for MacKinnon.

Cale Makar – B+

That pairing carried the defense tonight, and it seemed like they never left the ice in the third period. Makar’s biggest issue was hitting the net. None of his five shot attempts managed to make their way to Jones.

Patrik Nemeth – D

The puck play and lack of speed has been evident since the moment he got here. Maybe the pass to Jost on the second goal is a lot of bad luck, but that’s an easy breakout that ended up being harder than it should have been. Not a guy you want out late when your team is down, but team doesn’t have a ton of options at the moment, so seeing him pinch is not ideal. Watching him mash away at the puck in the slot in the first period was kind of hilarious, though.

Valeri Nichushkin – C

I guess he gets credit for that second goal, but he needed it after the brutal work on his first shift of the game with a turnover at the blue line and then a weak clear in front of the net. Not very Nuke-like.

Mikko Rantanen – A

Bad read on the forecheck for the Sharks fourth goal, but dominated otherwise. He’s a man on a mission right now, and his conditioning appears to be off the charts this season, being able to come back from time off like it’s nothing.

Dan Renouf – C-

He and Nemeth got caught out there on the first goal against, but not really their fault as the problems started in front of them. After that, barely noticed him, which isn’t a huge surprise because he played only 8 minutes.

Kiefer Sherwood – C+

Best moments came when he got some early line changes and got out there with more skilled players. Keeps ripping the puck at the net and playing physical…but kind of want to see what Newhook can do next game…

Carl Soderberg – D

Bednar kind of indicated in the postgame that they don’t really view him as an offensive guy late in games, so maybe when Saad is back, his role is on the fourth line, because it wasn’t a good game, and like I mentioned the other night, I don’t think he and Kadri have found any chemistry yet.

Conor Timmins – C-

A step back from his last few games, as I felt like his passing was a little off and he was getting beat a little bit more to the outside. Had the worst shots for percentage on the team at 28%.

Devon Toews – A-

Great game, and in control a lot of the time when he was out there. He’s been caught up a few times this year depending on his defensive partner to make the breakout pass as he did on the second Sharks goal, but the Avs owned the play with him out there. 11 shot attempt night.