Avs Game 7 Grades: Kadri Punches Back

Andre Burakovsky – C

Better than his game two nights ago but still not what the Avalanche needs from him. He missed an open net on a backdoor tap-in off a centering feed from MacKinnon. That’s what he needs. Something to build some confidence from, something to go right for him. It didn’t happen tonight and he remains a player in flux.

Bowen Byram – A

He didn’t end up on the scoresheet but he was once again excellent. With him on the ice at 5v5, the Avs outshot the Blues 14-3 and had a 12-5 advantage in scoring chances. He’s limiting quality against (zero high-danger chances against) and piling up quality for. He’s playing truly high-end hockey right now. Drag the skate next time, Bo.

J.T. Compher – A+

Two goals, one from the dreaded bumper position on the power play, and wasn’t underwater in shot metrics. This was a great Compher game. He showcased his finishing ability with his second goal, a snipe over Jordan Binnington’s glove, and got to the dirty areas, as evidenced by his tip-in goal in front of the net and the several scrums he was involved in. Two goals, five shots on goal, two hits, and broke even in the faceoff circle. Yahtzee.

Darren Helm – B

It was quiet but I loved Helm’s game. He utilized his speed well and was a terror in the neutral zone. The Blues couldn’t get any transition game going and Helm was a part of that in his limited ice time. Great shot metrics and four shots on goal all on his own. Sort of lost Tarasenko on the third St. Louis goal but the weird puck bounces made that a bang-bang play.

Erik Johnson – B+

I had some issues with certain decisions, especially offensively, in the first half of the game but I loved his third period. His shot metrics suffered a bit by being one of the key guys to close the game out at the end but his five hits and four blocked shots really speak to his value defensively.

Jack Johnson – B-

He got a great scoring chance and just deposited the puck right into Binnington’s chest and I sort of guffawed but in reality it was a great read by Johnson and thought he had a pretty good game of them. I liked his all-around game a lot more than normal. A low-mistake Jack Johnson game is a quality Jack Johnson game.

Tyson Jost – C+

I actually really liked the way Jost competed tonight. When games get ramped up in physicality, as this one did, Jost usually dives in and gets his nose dirty. It’s one of the reasons he’s constantly nursing injuries. Snagged an assist but did a lot of little things well, like his pin of a puck behind the Blues net in the third period as the Avs were getting a change. It’s rarely the big stuff that Jost gets right and tonight was another example. Negative in shot metrics (10 CF/11 CA so not a real problem) but was solid.

Nazem Kadri – A+

Others are free to disagree but I absolutely loved this game from Kadri. For some reason, he had to answer the bell for last year’s hit on Justin Faulk for the second time in as many games and he was game. He defended himself there, scored the pivotal third goal, and was given a misconduct because Binnington had a little mini-meltdown where he swung his stick in Kadri’s general direction. It was more dumb than dangerous but goes to show where other teams are with Kadri this year. They know he’s on the verge of a huge suspension and are trying to bait him into doing anything dumb. He’s resisting the urge so far and putting work in. His goal tonight was the icing on the cake. If only his coach had his back in the postgame presser.

Martin Kaut – B

A strong game from Kaut. He had an assist taken off the board when Ranta’s goal was called back because Byram was offside but contributed to a goal later when his work along the wall helped keep an offensive possession alive. Another example of not showing up on the scoreboard but his work contributing to the team’s success.

Darcy Kuemper – C

This is a tough grade. The first goal is a joke. It’s unacceptable for a shot that weak to get through an NHL goaltender. The other two, however, you can’t really lay any blame at Kuemper’s feet. Schenn on the backdoor for a one-timer with no defender near him is the definition of getting hung out to dry and Tarasenko’s goal is a perfectly placed missile from one of the league’s most talented shooters. Without the first goal, this is a much higher grade.

Gabriel Landeskog – C+

It was okay from Landeskog, who took Colorado’s only real penalty of the night when he tripped a man during an Avalanche power play. The shot metrics aren’t great and he didn’t have a major impact on the game. His best play of the night was his puck retrieval on the power play that led to Compher’s second goal. Arguably his best contributions all night involved puck retrieval, where he was quite good. The rest of his game, however, was lacking a bit.

Kurtis MacDermid – C

I didn’t hate his game tonight and I don’t think he’s at fault for leaving Schenn open on the second Blues goal. I watched that replay a handful of times and he’s reacting to a broken play by erasing the man closest to him. That’s fine. He actually attempted to throw a big hit tonight, which was a first. 7:26 of ice time and still negative in shot metrics. This remains a confusing but persistent lineup decision.

Jacob MacDonald – B-

Should’ve scored as he missed a wide-open net but he flubbed it. Was his typical agent of chaos self but almost all of it was good tonight. I think it was his responsibility to get back and cover Schenn on the second St. Louis goal but it was a broken play where he was already trying to fly the zone so it’s understandable why he was in no man’s land a bit there. Great shot metrics, per usual.

Nathan MacKinnon – B-

There are a few games every year where MacKinnon’s body language is just downright toxic and his attitude looks pretty poor. Tonight was one of those games. He was far too cute with the puck, especially in the defensive zone where multiple blind passes on his backhand ended up on St. Louis sticks. Obvious problems aside, he made a great play to feed Burakovsky for what should have been a tap-in goal and he made a great effort to keep the puck inside the zone on Makar’s game-winning goal. Speaks to what a special player MacKinnon is that he can be noticeably bad for the majority of the game and still make a game-changing play along the way.

Cale Makar – A

He’s clearly still fighting things a bit as he had multiple shots blocked throughout the game that he’s accustomed to getting through the traffic. His third period was the first time this season he really looked like Cale Makar. You know, the one we keep predicting will win multiple Norris trophies and be in the Hall of Fame someday. No pressure, I suppose. He was once again punished for an aggressive pinch offensively on the Tarasenko goal but there was enough that happened on that play I won’t pin it on him as a bad choice. Makar’s two points gave him 100 in just 108 career games.

Jayson Megna – B

I am relentlessly and unfairly hard on this guy as an example of everything bad and wrong about how NHL teams handle AHL veterans but this is the kind of game that keeps a guy like Megna around. He kept it simple, he worked hard and was very effective throughout. This probably bought him another full week or two on the NHL roster.

Ryan Murray – A

The 16th multi-point game of his career, Murray followed what was my favorite game of his Avs tenure two nights ago with another solid effort tonight. He snagged two assists and his only blemish on the night was questionable handling of the Tarasenko goal, though a lot of moving parts make it hard to blame any individual there. I really have loved his work with the puck the last two games.

Logan O’Connor – C+

His feistiness is always a welcome addition on a club that can get too comfortable in games. LOC’s penchant for upsetting his opponents always results in some fun shenanigans and that continued tonight. He made himself a little too easy to keep pushing into the net on the goal that never counted. He didn’t even try to resist Walman pushing him into the net and you’d think some kind of resistance was better than just letting it happen but alas. He was negative in shot metrics, which wouldn’t be a big deal but he was negative in scoring chances, just one of three Avs on the night to do so.

Sampo Ranta – C+

The goal being called back sucked but was also partially his fault. Byram needed to make a better effort to drag his skate but Byram was clearly two steps ahead of Ranta. Why did he hang onto the puck as long as he did? Just dump it, kid. The rest of his game was solid as he added a physical element to his forecheck and played with more consistent jump than we’re accustomed to. Was negative in shot metrics and scoring chances. Overall felt like a better night for Ranta all things considered.