Avs Game 8 Grades: Lightning Crashes

Erik Johnson – A-

A shot-blocking monster tonight, he got in front of two straight Stamkos bombs and looked to be in some pain but didn’t ever leave the game. He made some mistakes with the puck but ultimately played a very solid game overall, and had strong shot metrics.

Cale Makar – C

A much better showing. He looked a little shaky in the first, but not nearly as bad as his partner did. Made a nice play to corral the puck in the third and hit Kadri with a nice breakout pass just prior to his goal. He was taken off the first PP unit and saw the least amount of ice among the D, so the staff may be looking to take some pressure off him.

Matt Calvert – A

Calvert has been an offensive juggernaut early in the season, and maybe he was upset he didn’t end up on the scoresheet because he was ornery tonight, fighting Cernak in the second and then Hedman with less than a minute left in the game. The Avs scored three goals soon after the first fight, so he can take some credit for that burst.

Nikita Zadorov – D

That first period was a nightmare. Bad passes everywhere, a bad penalty, and just overall a mess. He cleaned it up significantly as the game went on, but that first was the type of period he just cannot have.

Tyson Jost – A+

He had three goals in his first six minutes of ice time. That’s awfully efficient. He’s looked significantly better at center and was rewarded tonight with a hat trick, the first of his career. This Avs team is just scoring goals at will right now, and it’s coming from everywhere.

Colin Wilson – A

He was creating turnovers in the first period for his line mates, one of the few guys who was getting things going in the offensive zone. After a brutal icing, he followed it up with an absurd no-look pass to Compher that led to Jost’s second goal. He finished the game with three assists, all of which were quite nice.

Ryan Graves – B-

Graves has certainly got to be more aware of who is coming out of the box, as he got burned when Kucherov came out of the box in the third that led to a penalty shot for Kucherov. The score was still 4-1 at that point, so if that goal had gone in, the game would have changed dramatically. But it didn’t. Beyond that, Graves was solid again and continues to earn more and more trust from the coaching staff.

Ian Cole – A

When Ian Cole steps on the ice, the Avs just score goals, apparently. He’s a +10 and has been on the ice for zero goals against. The Avs are shooting almost 30% when he’s on the ice. These numbers will not keep up, but Cole has been very solid since coming back from his double hip surgery.

Nathan MacKinnon – B-

That first period was another mess for the top line, but they really turned it around after that, controlling the majority of the play when they were on the ice. MacKinnon picked up another assist and just continues to watch that point total rise. The power play looks rough right now, so they’ve got to get something figured out there.

J.T. Compher – A

Compher played the part of playmaker this evening, picking up two assists, including one where he had a clear path to the net but knew his roommate Jost was just to his side and on the brink of a hat trick. His first assist was really nice and had some good sauce on it.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B

Bellemare is one of those guys who really doesn’t show up much on the stat sheet. He’s not overly physical, he doesn’t shoot the puck a ton (only four shots on goal this year), and even though he’s off to a hot start offensively, he’s not a big-time scorer. The fourth line had a great shift in the third after Tampa had just scored, just controlling the puck down low and killing time to get the momentum back.

Samuel Girard – A

A nice bounce back game from Girard. I don’t like him on the top PP unit because his shot doesn’t scare anyone, but loved everything else about his game tonight. He made a great read to keep the puck in on the first goal, and followed it up moments later with a great feed to Jost.

Joonas Donskoi – B

The second line didn’t have nice shot metrics, but I thought Donskoi played a solid game, if unspectacular. His biggest issue this year has been his unwillingness to shoot, and he attempted three shots at even strength tonight, which is a big step forward for him.

Matt Nieto – B+

I’ve loved everything about Nieto’s game this year, and I’ve mentioned it before. He just goes about his business every night and you know what you’re going to get. He’s at home on that fourth line right now and I don’t think Bednar will ever change that unless forced to do so by injury.

Nazem Kadri – B+

Kadri had his worst face-off night of the year, but given he’s been so dominant there, you can live with it. He was abusing guys with his puck control and finally was rewarded with it in the third period with a highlight-reel goal. The diving penalty he was given was just absurd, as he didn’t dive at all.

Gabriel Landeskog – B

Landy really needed that goal. He had been struggling coming in and struggled in the first period, but getting back to basics battling in front of the net and getting his stick on MacKinnon’s shot was exactly what he needed. We also saw angry Gabe in the second period when he and Cirelli got into it, and that’s when you know he’s involved. Finished the night with a team-leading six shot attempts at even strength.

Andre Burakovsky – B

He’s not going to score two goals every night, but a quietly solid night for him. A great screen on the Kadri goal, which is something he and his linemate Donskoi have done a few times this year.

Mikko Rantanen – C+

He completely fell asleep at the wheel just prior to the Lightning first goal, just letting his guy get behind him with ease. After that, he was much better and put on a show in the third period with a ridiculous goal. Another two-point night for the Big Moose.

Pavel Francouz – A

Wow. How good has the Avs goaltending been this year? It was their biggest question mark coming in and both guys are answering the bell so far. Francouz is calm in net, even in the face of pressure, and made some ridiculous saves in the first period to keep the Lightning off the board. He’s also great with the puck, at one point in the second catching the puck, and calmly moving it to Compher for a breakout. Great start for Francouz.