Avs Game 61 Grades: Making it look easy

Nicholas Aube-Kubel – C

*pokes with stick* Come on, do something. Anything.

Andre Burakovsky – C+

Great give and go with Rantanen on the goal that more or less put the game away in the third. Beyond that, I honestly am not sure I even noticed him.

J.T. Compher – C+

Nice deflection for the goal, and also had a decent chance in the second that I liked where he took a shot at a bad angle looking for a bank. Almost two months now without an assist, which is kind of a wild stat given the TOI he gets.

Darren Helm – C

Helm has been much better since returning, but tonight was a good showing of how hard a ceiling he has at this point in his career. He spent a good chunk of time on the third line and that’s a no-go.

Erik Johnson – C

The Manson acquisition almost guarantees that if enough guys are healthy, EJ should be sticking to the bottom pairing, but I’m interested to see how this year plays out. Murray is outplaying EJ and JJ of late, and it’s starting to shine through on TOI. The third pair was the ugliest of the three tonight, and you wonder if EJ is in danger of leaving the lineup down the stretch if some guys get back.

Jack Johnson – C

He tries offensively, but it’s just not there anymore. Pinched in early in the game backdoor for Rantanen and missed the pass.

Nazem Kadri – B

Had some dynamite passes early in the game, including hitting Murray on a rush that hit the post and a great pass to Rantanen just moments before the Nichushkin goal. He was bound to slow down goal-scoring-wise, but it’s remarkable how good he’s looked on the playmaking side this year.

Darcy Kuemper – A

That game never once felt in danger and Kuemper, while he didn’t have to really do a ton in terms of difficult saves, stood his ground. The only shot that beat him was perfect, but it got called back, so who cares?

Kurtis MacDermid – D

If you’re barely going to play, you can’t be taking penalties. I did get a chuckle out of MacDermid getting shifts with Mikko and Nate late.

Nathan MacKinnon – A-

Nate was moving really well again, and while he didn’t pick up any goals, forced the Kings’ hand a few times and drew a penalty early. Looks good with Nichushkin on his line too.

Cale Makar – B

He’s playing in all situations right now, and it’s kind of flying under the radar. The staff has basically stuck with Makar/Toews as the top PK unit, and it seems to be working.

Josh Manson – B-

I think by the third period, you could see the obvious (and expected) unfamiliarity of the system showing, but through two periods he kept it simple and hit everything in sight. He knows what he was brought in to do. Had a few nice stand-ups along the boards in the first period. Should be able to get a practice in with the team tomorrow or Thursday to help smooth out some things.

Ryan Murray – B-

Had some iffy moments with the puck at times in the defensive zone, but looked steady again and is making a case for more ice time down the stretch. Normally when he pinches, nothing dangerous happens, but nice pinch in the first period when he hit the post. Would have been nice to see him get one.

Alex Newhook – B

The curl and cut to the middle in the third period was a thing of beauty, and I really liked his edge work when he cut around the net in the third for a good chance. They seemed to move him back to the third line late in the game and allowed him to touch the puck more.

Valeri Nichushkin – A

You seem to put him anywhere and he fits in perfectly. Nice goal in front, an assist on the second goal, and solid work at even strength. I loved seeing him hassle a Kings defenseman trying to break the puck out in the third period with a three-goal lead. He doesn’t stop.

Logan O’Connor – C

Got moved up to the second line in the third period, but I think that was more to get Newhook back into the middle. Solid work on the PK, but more or less non-existent at even strength.

Mikko Rantanen – A

That’s more like it. Maybe he took a mini-hibernation and is coming out of that because he’s looked more like his old self. The takeaway prior to his goal was really nice. I love that he thinks he’s never taken a penalty in his life and likes to argue every call.

Devon Toews – A-

He was on his game, with great stick work all over the ice. At one point in the first period, it looked like he was going to get beat wide for an odd-man rush, but he poked the puck away and actually managed to keep the play in the offensive zone. Best defenseman out there.