Avs Game 53 Grades: Grind it out

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C-

In a grind it out game, Bellemare didn’t do a ton to stand out at even strength and was good on the penalty kill in this one…for the most part. He lost the big face-off that led to the Blue Jackets’ only goal of the game and as a guy brought in as a face-off specialist, you don’t like seeing that.

Andre Burakovsky – C-

A pretty quiet night for Burakovsky, but he was half a centimeter away from scoring a goal towards the end of the first period that hit not only the crossbar but the post. Beyond that, nothing on net from him.

Matt Calvert – B+

Calvert was extremely noticeable on the penalty kill in this one, grinding it out down low several times and killing nothing but time. He really stood out in a tough game in his old barn.

Ian Cole – B-

Cole was really good on the penalty kill in this one, which is kind of a trend so far with everyone. At even strength, he was fairly quiet, which is completely fine. He’s been really solid since basically being planted on that third pair.

J.T. Compher – B+

There was a lot to like about Compher in this one, as he was moving really well all evening. He played over six minutes on the penalty kill, leading the team overall. He was second among forwards in time on ice, but the PK played a big role in that.

Joonas Donskoi – C+

Another solid game from Donskoi, even though he was kept off the scoresheet again. His ice time rose exponentially in this one, though, as he was third among forwards in even-strength time on ice.

Samuel Girard – B-

Girard did a lot right in this one, particularly with skating the puck out of pressure when the Avs really needed it, but took a beating in the shot share. I think a lot of that had to do with his regular partner, but he was out there as well.

Ryan Graves – B

Graves had a good, solid night where not a whole lot happened with him out there. Like most of the other defensemen, he was good on the penalty kill, and guess what? Another plus!

Philipp Grubauer – B+

Really did not like the goal by Jones, and Grubauer didn’t either, but full marks to him for shutting it down in the third period and giving the Avs every chance to get back into it. That’s three straight good games in a row and maybe he’s getting into a groove.

Erik Johnson – C-

EJ was great on the penalty kill tonight. Full marks to him for that. At even strength, it was kind of ugly, as he was on the ice for eight high danger chances against, and zero for. Nothing seems to be going right for him offensively this year.

Nazem Kadri – B

Kadri was visibly frustrated all night, getting stopped by Elvis a few times and showing some emotion. He took a penalty in the first period but he’s got a physical edge to his game and it happens. His goal, however, changed the course of the game and got the Avs going big time.

Tyson Jost – D

After some great games, Jost was quiet tonight. He had a nice cut to the middle and shot on net in the second and didn’t do much the rest of the evening.

Gabriel Landeskog – B

I thought Landy did a lot well in this game, to be honest. The hands just aren’t there for him, but I like seeing him get feisty as he did in the first period. That line came out firing and then faded away a good bit, so nice to see them finish it off.

Nathan MacKinnon – A-

Elite player made an elite shot. There’s only a handful of players in the league who can do that, and the Avs have one of them. Bow in his presence.

Cale Makar – A-

I really loved Makar’s game tonight, as he carried over everything from the previous game. He was probably the Avs best skater, as they had the best shot metrics and most scoring chances with him on the ice. I also like seeing him play physical, and he did that a lot tonight.

Valeri Nichushkin – B-

His hands were a little off in this one, including a three on two that he flubbed in the first with a bad pass to Kadri, but he was tremendous defensively, which is pretty much a staple for him at this point.

Matt Nieto – B+

Can we talk about that back check in the first period? The Blue Jackets had an empty net and Nieto raced back to save the day. That was all effort. He was the fifth Avs player to get back and didn’t even need to be down low at that time, but that’s his hockey sense coming into play. I don’t even remember what else he did on the night, but that play saved a goal.

Mikko Rantanen – C-

Say whatever you want about the second penalty (weak call), but two offensive zone penalties from one of your best players just isn’t good enough. He did do some good things offensively in this one when he wasn’t in the box.

Nikita Zadorov – B

Z had a quietly effective night through two, with good breakout passes and smart play. The penalty to start the third was just poor, as he got beat and had to recover. The hit that created the Kadri goal may have been the play of the game, however, and that’s something that really only he can provide on this team.