Avs Game 52 Grades: Auto-Pilot

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B

Most games, Bellemare is going to be really quiet out there, and tonight was one of them, but he made a great feed to Nieto for the game-winning goal. A good night in the face-off circle and good minutes on a penalty kill that did their job tonight.

Andre Burakovsky – B-

That line felt a little quiet tonight, but maybe that’s because they were just so dominant against Buffalo. Burakovsky only ended up with one shot on goal, and even with the score adjuster, his shot metrics weren’t great but made a nice feed to Nichushkin for the first goal after recognizing that both Ottawa defenders had attacked him.

Matt Calvert – B-

For the first time in what feels like forever, Bednar separated Calvert and Bellemare, and Calvert managed to go to another line and still have success. He didn’t pick up any points but that line kept the puck in Ottawa’s end for most of their time on the ice.

Ian Cole – B

I’m liking Cole’s decisions with the puck a lot more in the offensive zone this year than I am in the defensive zone, which is maybe why he has a billion points. He made more smart plays tonight and continues to be involved offensively.

J.T. Compher – B+

It was nice to see some real burst from Compher coming out of the defensive zone on his goal. The goals have been tougher for him to come by this year, but I was happier with his process tonight, as he was back at center again. Even managed to be the Avs best face-off guy.

Joonas Donskoi – B-

I’m not sure he’s getting his spot back on the second line at the rate Nichushkin is playing at, but he’s a nice addition of skill to the bottom six, and has looked good since returning. We saw it at training camp, but he’s a guy who has chemistry with everyone it seems.

Samuel Girard – B-

A hiccup by him letting Tkachuk get behind him at the end of the first period, but other than that, another strong game from him. Made a nice play with his stick defensively to break up an odd-man rush late in the game.

Ryan Graves – B-

I didn’t love some of his puck decisions in the defensive zone tonight, but he also made a real nice play to Compher while taking a hit on that goal. Score adjusted, he was at the bottom of the Avs D in shot metrics, but the coaches are really trusting him, as he led the team in time on ice.

Philipp Grubauer – A

Sure, they are two games against sub-par teams, but two back to back consistent games from Grubauer is a nice sign moving forward. That first period had to be extremely boring for him, and it’s not easy for any goalie to sit there for 18 minutes and do nothing, but he settled in and played well.

Erik Johnson – B-

You can kind of tell EJ is itching for a goal, as he was down low late in the game trying to get one. He hasn’t picked up a goal since October 14 and is the lone defenseman who seems to be struggling to pick up points.

Nazem Kadri – C-

Kadri had one of those games where he tries to do a little too much with the puck on his stick, including several toe-drags at or around the offensive blueline, which are very risky. He got away with it against a poor team in Ottawa, but not something you need to see every night.

Tyson Jost – B

It was tough to tell at first glance, but Jost made a great play to smack the puck out of mid-air to Bellemare on Nieto’s goal. He’s had more burst the last six games or so, and skating is the one thing that has held back his game.

Gabriel Landeskog – D

Woof, Landy. A penalty as he was caught spinning early in the game, and then turning it over at the offensive blueline for the Sens only goal. The Avs just need more from their Captain.

Nathan MacKinnon – B

I’m not so sure I would have given MacKinnon a star in this one, but it’s easy to default to him if you’re the road team. He’s been rather pedestrian coming out of the All-Star break but did manage to pick up an assist on Makar’s goal in this one.

Cale Makar – A

After two sub-par games, Makar came out flying in this one, as he nearly buried one coming in off the point in the first period. He finished the job with a bomb in the second on the power play and was activating a lot in this one. Made a great defensive play on the penalty kill to break up a two on one in the second period, just moments before his goal.

Valeri Nichushkin – A

The man just keeps on chugging along and is a menace chasing the puck down, whether it’s on the forecheck or on the other team’s stick. Over the last 32 games, he’s scoring at a 56 point pace. Not bad for a late summer pickup.

Matt Nieto – A-

Nice to see Nieto get one in this game, and the best part about the goal was how he wasted no time letting it rip. If he catches and holds onto that puck, it likely gets stopped. A nice night on the penalty kill for Nieto as well.

Mikko Rantanen – B

I think Rantanen is starting to get it together, and one way to tell is when he’s taking the puck away from the opposing team. There were a few times in this one where he lifted the Senators players sticks and just took the puck away from them. That’s a sign that he’s engaged and going.

Nikita Zadorov – B-

I liked a lot about Z’s game tonight. The penalty stinks but thought it was a bit iffy. I thought his decisions breaking the puck out tonight were really strong, and even though he didn’t pick up any points, he had some nice moments jumping into the play.