Avs Game 66 Grades: Post and out

Mark Barberio – D+

Barbs and MacK both attacked the same guy on the Ducks’ second goal. I’m not sure Barbs did anything wrong, as that looked like his guy, but some miscommunication there. The third pair was ugly in this one.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – D

I really don’t know why Bellemare fought. He’s not a fighter, and it clearly showed. He missed most of the first period because of it. Missed a wide-open net in the first period before that fight.

Ian Cole – C

Because of how the defense ended up playing, Cole played a ton in this one. I really didn’t have much of an issue with him. He looked to get away with some interference in the first period but otherwise had an okay night.

J.T. Compher – D-

Compher had a rough one in this one and was out on the ice a ton. Just very little impact from him on either end of the ice.

Joonas Donskoi – B+

The penalty on Donskoi was not a good call, as he took an elbow to the jaw right before his supposed holding. Other than that, Donskoi had a really active night, in a good way. He hit the post in the second period and missed on a semi-breakaway as well. Probably had the most chances he’s had in a month.

Pavel Francouz – D

He was bound to have one of those nights where he struggled to make the big save. You have to live with it considering how well he’s played since Grubi’s gone down, but not a great night from Frankie. On to the next.

Samuel Girard – B

Sam was, once again, their strongest defender, and with Makar out of the lineup, played almost 29 minutes. The OT goal may have gone off his stick, but other than that, he had a fine night. Had an overtime breakaway that I’m not sure we’ll ever see again.

Ryan Graves – D

Graves did not pass the eye test in this one. Turnovers and icings in this one and nearly 27 minutes is a sign of how the rest of the defense played, and no Makar. Had a lot of trouble getting his shots through in this one.

Erik Johnson – C+

I really didn’t mind EJ in this one. He had an especially good overtime that could have easily resulted in an Avs game-winner. He’s moving a lot better of late.

Vladislav Kamenev – D

I couldn’t really tell you if Kamenev played in this one. He was credited with four hits, but not a ton happened out there. He’s clearly not in the good graces of the staff.

Martin Kaut – C

I thought Kaut was fine. Nothing spectacular but nothing that really stood out at all. Him not even hitting 10 minutes might be a sign that he’s not going to be around for much longer, as the Avs have one more game to make a decision before burning a year on his entry-level deal.

Tyson Jost – B-

Jost picked up two secondary assists in this one and generally played fine. He had an empty net in the second period but somehow Irwin got his stick on it to deflect it wide. Just some tough luck in overtime as he had a breakaway and the puck bounced like crazy for him.

Gabriel Landeskog – A-

I don’t feel like Landy had a perfect game in this one. Lots of weird decisions with the puck, but three points on the evening, including a beautiful snipe on the power play, certainly helps. He’s almost at a point per game over the last month.

Nathan MacKinnon – B+

A much better performance from MacK, although defensively, not sure what he was doing on the second Ducks goal. Nice to see him put one behind a goalie, as he was clearly a frustrated man at morning skate and most of this game.

Vladislav Namestnikov – B+

Namestnikov sure isn’t afraid to go the net. His goal was him crashing the net, and he got into a big dust-up with Getzlaf in the third when he was digging at a puck down low. He looked lost on the Ducks’ second goal, unfortunately.

Valeri Nichushkin – B+

Another night when you look at the stat sheet and see the Avs just dominated with Nichushkin on the ice. He nearly went bar down in the second period, and moments later set up Donskoi for a mini breakaway.

Matt Nieto – C-

Nothing against Matt Nieto, who does a lot of grunt work and got set up to nearly be killed by Ryan Graves in the second period, but when Nieto is playing 17 minutes, your team is in tough.

Logan O’Connor – F

The number one rule of a fourth line call-up would be to not make any huge mistakes. O’Connor did that on the Ducks’ third goal, turning it over behind the net and moments later it was in the net. He got just one shift after that.

Nikita Zadorov – F

A night to forget for Z, who was a mess all night long and got benched after the Ducks third goal. Especially with Makar out, the Avs need WAY more from him.