Avs Game 74 Grades - Turtle Time

The Avalanche played tremendous for the first 25 minutes, but entered their usual shell with a lead, and were unable to slow down the Philadelphia Flyers, who controlled the last half of the game on their way to a 4-2 win.

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

Tyson Barrie (D) – Barrie played 26 minutes tonight, but was very quiet overall.  No rushes up the ice, and not a single shot on goal.

Francois Beauchemin (D) – I think it’s been very apparent the last 30 games or so that the heavy minutes Beauchemin has been playing are wearing on him, and tonight was a real struggle.  EJ carried him all night with his skating.  Beauchemin looked slow, and had several turnovers just by throwing the puck to an area instead of looking to make a pass.  He blocked Varly from getting to the game winner by trying to block the shot instead of attacking Giroux.

Chris Bigras (C) – It’s a less than ideal spot for a 20 year old defenseman to have a new partner every night, and a partner who doesn’t even come close to finishing the game, so Bigras has to fill in with random shifts with other defensemen.  I say it’s time to call up Zadorov and just roll with it.

Mikkel Boedker (B) – Another game, and another point for Boedker.  It would have been a primary assist had Holden not missed an empty net off a great feed from Boedker, but he still got a point on the play.  That line was the only one with all three members of the line at positive possession.

Blake Comeau (C) – Comeau had some skate issues tonight, as he just lost an edge on more than one occasion, one time leading to a turnover.  He’s a valuable role player, but he’s a very frustrating player to watch.

Mikhail Grigorenko (B) – He had his goal taken away by the golden foot of Nick Holden, but he’s been alright in his move back to center.  He seems to mesh well with any skilled player, and that’s a sign of his intelligence.

Nick Holden (D-) – His golden foot saved him from an F, but he was awful otherwise.  Turnovers and icings are two things you will always get from Holden.  The physical play he showed to start the year has all but vanished.  To top it all off, he somehow was rewarded with more ice time than anyone else on the team.

Jarome Iginla (F) – This line was absolutely awful, other than a rush by Martinsen up the ice on the second goal.  They spent the majority of their shifts in the defensive zone.  Iginla’s ineffectiveness at even strength is even more evident without Duchene around.

Erik Johnson (A-) – Yes, EJ made a mistake on the game winner.  He would love a mulligan on that play.  But beyond that, he was the best skater on the ice tonight, and it wasn’t even close.  He finished with 9 (!) shots on goal.

Gabriel Landeskog (C) – He’s been the teams best player post All Star break, but tonight he was average.  Whether it’s fair or not, they need him to carry the forwards down the stretch.

Andreas Martinsen (D) – He showed off his absurd strength on the Mitchell goal with his rush up the ice, but other than that, he was a ghost on the ice.  Gostisbehere made him look silly a few times in the defensive zone.

Shawn Matthias (C+) – He’s been a natural fit on the third line, and led the forward core in shots on net tonight.  That doesn’t include the crossbar he hit early in the game shorthanded.

Cody McLeod (C-) – One thing is for sure, McLeod would rather try to hit a defenseman in the defensive zone than get to the puck first.  He failed again on the game tying goal, as Rantanen threw the puck to an area and McLeod, the closest Avs skater to the puck, didn’t come close to getting it.  His man scored a few seconds later.

John Mitchell (D) – Mitchell was good in the faceoff circle, and scored a nice goal driving the net, but other than that, he was not good tonight.  That line was crushed defensively.

Mikko Rantanen (C) – The Avs are really trying to force Rantanen into a position he’s just not fit for, at least not as a 19 year old.  I thought he made some strong passes in the neutral zone, and had some nice shot attempts, but his turnover on the game tying goal was some evidence that he’s just not a center.

Zach Redmond (C) – Redmond played 4:31 of hockey, with some good (puck movement) and some bad (pinches), but he just happened to be on the ice for a goal, which saw his night end very early.  That’s the life of the #6 defenseman dressed for the Avs right now.

Jack Skille (C) – Skille had some decent jump tonight, and helped Rantanen a bit in the defensive zone at times.

Carl Soderberg (C) – A pretty quiet night for the big Swede.  He had a nice chance on a 2 on 1 where he was robbed, but was not too noticeable otherwise.

Semyon Varlamov (A-) – Varly was tremendous tonight, although he was beat by another point shot.  The Flyers significantly outplayed the Avs for the second half of the game, and Varly gave them a chance.

The Avs are back at it on Saturday afternoon, as they take on the Minnesota Wild, in what is easily the biggest game of the season.  The game starts at 1 PM MST.