Avs-Hurricanes Grades: Missed opportunity

The Colorado Avalanche fell 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. How did the players grade out? Predictably, not well!

See the results below.

Tyson Barrie (B-) – The goal was vintage Barrie, jumping into the play and making a perfect read. The poor defense and getting beat in a puck battle behind the net for Carolina’s first goal was also vintage Barrie as tonight was a perfect example of the roller coaster you ride with him.

Gabriel Bourque (D) – He got flat out robbed in the first period by Cam Ward for what would have been his fifth goal of the season. Beyond that moment, however, he was on the ice for a significant number of Carolina chances and he got obliterated in an increased role with Blake Comeau out.

J.T. Compher (C+) – Quite a game for Compher as he made a great play to spark the Avalanche’s only goal of the night. He had multiple high-quality scoring chances throughout the game but failed to finish on them. Given his recent run of goals, it’s too hard to complain about his lack of finish but it’s obvious he can’t consistently beat NHL goaltenders enough to be a legitimate top-six player. At least not yet.

Samuel Girard (D+) – He skated well and moved the puck efficiently early but he was not good defensively tonight and was on the ice for far too many scoring chances for Carolina.

A.J. Greer (D) – There have been flashes lately with Greer but tonight there was absolutely nothing of note in his game. Given he’s only getting action when there’s an injury, an effort like tonight’s isn’t going to convince anybody he belongs.

Erik Johnson (D) – He doesn’t seem to be able to beat a goaltender unless it’s a soft five-hole goal and tonight Ward was able to fend off all seven of Johnson’s shots, some of which were in legitimately dangerous spots. Beyond that, Johnson got crushed at even strength as he was on the ice for a team-high 16 (!!) scoring chances against (versus just seven for). Yikes. Avs need MUCH better from their number one defenseman.

Tyson Jost (C-) – Given an interesting assignment in terms of new linemates, Jost had a very quiet night. It wasn’t the disaster some of his teammates experienced but he wasn’t part of any kind of offense.

Alexander Kerfoot (C+) – There was a lot of jump from Kerfoot, especially in the first two periods, and he was part of some of their most dangerous chances on the night. After what I’ve felt have been a handful of quiet games, I liked Kerfoot a lot more tonight. He was one of the only guys to come out on the positive end of any kind of shot metrics and he even managed two shots on goal for himself.

Gabriel Landeskog (C-) – This is a tough one because the numbers will show a player that was on the positive side of things but the eyes will tell you he didn’t participate much in that outcome. His slow rotation on Brock McGinn opened the door for the game-winning goal on the first shift of the third period. Disappointing from the captain.

Anton Lindholm (C+) – There were two blatant facepalm moments from Lindholm tonight – his Tripping penalty where he simply didn’t move his feet and his cross-ice pass to his defensive partner…who had left the ice for a line change. Neither ended up costing the Avalanche and beyond those moments he continued to quietly be part of a solid defensive effort as Carolina’s offense was less prominent than Colorado’s with Lindholm on the ice.

Patrik Nemeth (D) – I recently broke down Nemeth’s struggles in an Avalanche Film Room and tonight they reared their ugly head once again. Under no duress, Nemeth’s flubbed backhand pass to Barrie created an opportunity for a puck battle behind the Avs’ net, which Barrie naturally lost, and led to Carolina’s first goal. Those struggles continued and Nemeth was a deep negative in shot metrics tonight.

Matt Nieto (D+) – The numbers were not good for Nieto tonight and the eyes weren’t even sure he played. The only meaningful play he was part of tonight was Skinner’s goal to seal the game. Tonight’s game won’t be part of his agent’s pitch for an extension this summer.

Mikko Rantanen (B-) – I saw some who were upset with Rantanen’s play tonight but I really thought he was quite good at times. His assist was obviously perfection but his continued hard work along the boards created real offense for Colorado tonight. MacKinnon’s injury has forced Rantanen to almost carry a line on his own and he’s beginning to adapt. Encouraging.

Carl Soderberg (D+) – I’ve given his linemates bad grades, not a chance I’m letting Soderberg off the hook. He was SLIGHTLY better, however, as he was aggressive on the power play and clearly was trying to initiate a little something. Nothing landed, however, and his even strength play just has not been good enough with MacKinnon out.

Dominic Toninato (C) – Sure, a ‘C’ sounds fine for Toninato. He didn’t do much of anything tonight, good or bad, and didn’t see the ice very much. Unlike Greer, however, there seems to be a small modicum of trust with Toninato so this wasn’t nearly as much of a “prove it” situation, meaning his mediocrity was not nearly as impactful.

Semyon Varlamov (B-) – There wasn’t a whole lot he could do on any of the goals really. Two point-blank shots and a wide-open rebound with all five Avalanche skaters in the vicinity? He had to deal with a ton of scoring chances and high-danger chances tonight. Varlamov’s biggest problem tonight was the poor play of the team in front of him.

Colin Wilson (D) – Hard to believe teams have been circling around this guy as a potential addition at the trade deadline. He’s done nothing in his last two games and despite repeated chances around the net, he just cannot beat NHL goaltenders. His shot metrics were pretty good relative to most of his teammates but his actual contribution amounted to being the stopper for Colorado’s offense. Sigh.

Nail Yakupov (B-) – He came out flying and generated some scoring chances. I thought one of his slapshots on the power play was going to impale Cam Ward but it turns out goaltender gear is actually pretty effective at preventing such things. Good break for Ward.

Nikita Zadorov (C+) – He crushed some fools and skated the puck with confidence. Unfortunately for him, some of that confidence was unfounded as he created a couple of turnovers out of thin air that almost came back to haunt the Avalanche. His even strength numbers were respectable given his role. And did I mention he crushed some fools? Because he did.

Jared Bednar (C) – I have no issues with Bednar switching up some lines to try to kickstart the offense but he’s wasting Landeskog trying to use him as a defensive stopper right now. The Landeskog-Wilson combination he thinks he can matchup against opposing top lines is actually working defensively. But the majority of the offense is dying with Wilson. He’s found something productive with Lindholm and Barrie together. Girard with Nemeth is a mess, though, and finding a fit for Nemeth continues to be a tricky proposition. He will need to continue to tinker and adjust as he goes. I wish he’d stop messing around with Johnson and just use Zadorov as his full-time partner but that’s nitpicking.