Avs Game 72 Grades - Gutsy Win

The Avalanche, without Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, and losing Eric Gelinas and Nathan MacKinnon as the game went on, came from behind for a gutsy 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.

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

Tyson Barrie (C) – Barrie made a terrible drop pass to MacKinnon on the Flames first shorthanded goal, but if you watch the replays, he looked real slow getting up off the ice after he fell.  He missed practice this week with a hamstring injury.

Francois Beauchemin (B) – Beauchemin had a strong game, particularly in overtime, rushing the puck up the ice and showing some patience defensively.

Chris Bigras (B-) – It was really nice to get him back, especially with Gelinas going down with an injury.  He looked confident in the third period, joining the play offensively, and created problems in front of the net on Soderberg’s goal.

Andrew Bodnarchuk (INC) – The guy only played two shifts, one of which was after Gelinas’ injury.

Mikkel Boedker (A) – The trade deadline pickup is paying off so far.  A great assist on EJ’s goal to get the Avs back into the game, and a beautiful game winner in the shootout.

Blake Comeau (C-) – That was a very up and down game for Comeau.  He made some terrible decisions on the breakout, was lazy on the backcheck on the second shorthanded goal against, and took an offensive zone penalty.  He also made some great backchecks on the night, including a huge diving stop on the penalty kill in the second.

Eric Gelinas (D) – To me, Gelinas has been very “meh” in an Avs uniform, and tonight was on different, including a terrible defensive play from him on the Flames second shorthanded goal.  We may not see him again this year with his elbow injury, though.

Mikhail Grigorenko (A) – I believe an argument could be made that Grigorenko was the Avs best forward all night.  He was strong on the puck, even making two power moves to the net, and was also strong on the boards.  He led the Avs in shots on goal.  He made a great play with his stick just prior to the Barrie goal.

Nick Holden (C) – Holden made some decent plays in the offensive zone, but he too often wastes plays by just floating the puck towards the net.  He got walked by Backlund on the penalty kill in the third period and was bailed out by his partner.

Jarome Iginla (B-) – Iggy had a strong first period, and was decent the rest of the way.  His attempted breakaway in the third period was almost comical, however.

Erik Johnson (A) – EJ looks as good as he has since his injury right now.  He’s jumping into the play, and scored another big goal for the team tonight.  The team is a lot better with him joining the rush consistently.

Nathan MacKinnon (B-) – Pray for his knee.  He made a strong drive to the net on the EJ goal, and won 56% of his faceoffs.  With Duchene already out, the Avs cannot afford to lose MacKinnon too.

Andreas Martinsen (D) – After a few strong games, Martinsen was very quiet again, and was not as physical as he needs to be.  He got removed from the third line in the third period.

Shawn Matthias (B-) – Matthias has been pretty consistent since getting here, and that’s not something he’s had a lot of in his career.  Another assist tonight, this time from whacking away at the puck in front of the net.

Cody McLeod (C) – With the Avs down one forward all night, McLeod saw very limited ice time all night, and barely touched the ice in the third.

John Mitchell (B) – Mitchell stepped his game up tonight without Duchene there, and he used his linemates a lot better than he normally does.  We all know it won’t last, but it was a big game for him tonight.

Jack Skille (B+) – For the second straight game, Skille had a lot of jump, and he was rewarded in the third period, moving up to the third line and playing a big role in the tying goal.

Carl Soderberg (B) – A very quiet 19 minutes from Soderberg tonight, but he was effective, and he picked up his first goal in 18 games tonight at a very important time for the team.

Semyon Varlamov (B+) – Varly never had a chance on the first or the third Flames goals, and he did a nice job of shutting the door after the third one to let the Avs get back into it.  He was dynamite again in the shootout, giving the Flames shooters nothing.

The Avs continue their road trip on Sunday night when they take on the Edmonton Oilers.  It also will mark the return of Gabriel Landeskog.  The game starts at 7 PM MST.