Avs Game 65 Grades - Big Game, Big Loss

The Avalanche fought their way back, but defensive breakdowns cost them all night long on their way to a huge 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.  They’ve now fallen out of a playoff spot.

How did each player perform?  Let’s find out…

Tyson Barrie (B-) – There will probably be a lot of people that disagree with this grade, as he made his mistakes defensively, but Barrie was dynamite in transition tonight.  Yes, he had his warts defensively, including getting completely lost on the Wild’s 2nd goal, but the Avs are just a dynamic team with him on the ice, and tonight was no different.  Just my opinion, but the Avs should load up their top pairing with Barrie and EJ.

Francois Beauchemin (F) – The Avs had all the momentum until Beauchemin flubbed the puck at the offensive blueline, giving the Wild a 2 on 1 that they cashed in on.  He also got caught watching on the Wild’s 3rd goal.  He’s too willing to give away possession of the puck instead of looking to make a pass.  The heavy minutes have worn on him.

Chris Bigras (C) – Bigras had a really rough first period, with lots of turnovers, and started the second period with a brutal turnover that led to a 2 on 1 against.  His goal was a thing of beauty, showing off his offensive instincts, something he’s been showing a lot more as he’s gotten more comfortable.

Mikkel Boedker (B) – A really strong debut for the newest forward on the team.  He looked dynamite on the power play, which isn’t a surprise, as he’s excelled there this year, and fit in with MacKinnon and Landeskog on the cycle.  You’d like to see him bury the empty net he had in the second period.

Blake Comeau (D) – He shot the puck well wide of the net on a glorious opportunity in the second period, then took a dumb penalty late in that same period to nullify a power play.

Matt Duchene (C) – Fantastic pass to set up Bigras first NHL goal, but a somewhat quiet night otherwise.  He and Grigorenko have some chemistry out there.

Eric Gelinas (D-) – Not an impressive first game for the new defenseman.  He made a lot of unforced errors, including two turnovers on uncontested breakouts in the third period.  He never saw the ice again after that shift.  He had a similar turnover to Beauchemin in the third period, but Barrie’s speed bailed him out.  I wasn’t a big fan of the trade, because to me, he’s not the type of defenseman the Avs needed to go out and acquire if they were going to get one.  In fairness to him, he hasn’t played in weeks, but that was not a good start.

Mikhail Grigorenko (C) – He came very close to giving the Avs the lead in the second period, and close to tying it in the third, but was unable to bury either chance.  He and Duchene had a glorious passing play in the second that ended with Comeau missing the net.

Nick Holden (F) – This guy is a mess right now.  He showed no awareness whatsoever on the Wild’s 2nd goal, not giving a single look to the winger on his other side.  He then decided to cover nobody on the game winner, and in the process, gave Parise all the time and space he needed to make an easy back door pass for a goal.

Jarome Iginla (B) – The Avs are getting as much out of Iggy as they can expect to get at this point.  Another bomb on the power play, and a really nice pass to Grigorenko in the third period that almost tied it up.

Erik Johnson (D) – He’s looking a lot like the defenseman that Avs fans saw before Patrick Roy came along, showing off his skill but making a lot of mental mistakes.  Tonight was no different.  I think he did a good job of taking away the pass on the Wild’s first goal, but maybe you’d like to see him pressure the puck carrier a bit more once he gets closer to the net.

Gabriel Landeskog (B+) – Simply put, he’s the best forward on the team right now, and has been since the break.  He was a monster on the forecheck again tonight and dominated the game down low.

Nathan MacKinnon (B) – He and Landy are carrying the team at even strength right now up front.  That line was, once again, the best on the ice tonight.

Shawn Matthias (D) – Besides that bogus penalty that got called on him in the second period, he had a very quiet night and was not very noticeable for a guy his size.

Cody McLeod (B) – Another game in Minnesota, and another dirty goal for McLeod.  He always seems to get up for these games against the Wild.

John Mitchell (D) – What was Mitchell doing on the game winning goal for the Wild?  The correct answer would be: Nothing.  He didn’t bother to pick up anyone and it might have cost the Avs the game tonight.

Calvin Pickard (A) – Hard to ask for much more than what he did in relief tonight.  He had to make some huge stops in the second period, but didn’t get much help on the only goal he gave up.

Jack Skille (C) – That was looking to be one of the best games he’s played in 2016 until the brutal turnover that led to the game winner.  Just an awful idea to try the stretch pass in the neutral zone, and he did an even weaker job trying to defend after his mistake.

Carl Soderberg (D) – Soderberg’s offense has dried up a lot lately, as he has no goals in his last 11 games.  He had a rough night with the puck tonight, but he should still be on the power play before Comeau.

Semyon Varlamov (D) – I personally have a hard time blaming Varly for anything tonight.  Yeah, you’d like to see him make a huge save, but he’s saved this team so many times before, and he’s going to have off nights.  Two breakaway goals against, and another on a 2 on 1 that was essentially a breakaway, as EJ never pressured Niederreiter once.  He wasn’t superman tonight, and it seems like some fans want to blame him for that.

The Avalanche return home to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.  The game starts at 7 PM MST.