Avs-Jets Grades - Bouncing Back

The Colorado Avalanche came back from deficit’s twice and capitalized on an overtime power play to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2.

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

Sven Andrighetto (D) – With Landeskog suspended, Ghetto got a chance on the top line and he disappointed.  The line really didn’t create much at even strength and he ended up with only one shot on goal.  He did have a nice play where he hustled to beat an icing in the third.  He had the worst possession numbers on the team.

Mark Barberio (C+) – Barbs had a chance to do something with the puck prior to the Jets’ first goal and he turned it over.  Other than that, I actually thought he had a solid game overall, and made a real nice play late in the game along the blueline.

Tyson Barrie (D) – He had a lot of attempts at the point on the power play but only ended up with one shot on goal.  He still doesn’t look right after his injury.

Gabriel Bourque (C) – He’s in there for PK work and he did pretty well tonight.  Managed to pick up an assist on the Z goal.

Blake Comeau (B) – The third line was once again the Avs most consistent this evening, and Comeau did pick up an assist on the game-tying goal.  He’s playing strong, and for the most part, he’s playing smart.

J.T. Compher (A) – Really liked Compher’s game, and think he’s coming on over the last few.  That line had a lot of jump and Compher played a big part in that.  Led all Avs forwards in ice time.

Samuel Girard (C-) – More and more mistakes are starting to creep into Girard’s game with the heavy minutes, but that’s to be expected. He’s 19, and it’s not always going to be perfect.  He still makes some dazzling plays, a lot of times at the offensive blueline.

Erik Johnson (C) – He got his money’s worth on his slashing penalty. I have to be honest, he ended up with eight shots on goal but I don’t remember any of them being particularly dangerous. Just an average game from him, and for them to win with that is a good sign.

Tyson Jost (B) – That was probably one of Jost’s better games this year. He was tenacious offensively and on the forecheck.  His balance looked to be a major issue with the leg injury, but seeing him create some offense was a positive.

Alexander Kerfoot (A-) – The man needs to learn to shoot on the power play to keep teams honest, but two more points and the work to get the puck to MacK on the winner was nice. A huge concern has to be the absolute beating he takes every night.

Anton Lindholm (C) – For missing a good chunk of time, Lindholm looked fine for the most part. I wonder how much the extra piece on his helmet hurt him when it came to him whiffing on the empty net and then losing the battle in front of the net on the Jets 2nd goal.

Nathan MacKinnon (B-) – Mack’s line got beat up by the other top line tonight, but MacK looked to be held back a bit by his linemates.  He was creating things through the neutral zone as he always does, and it’s always nice to score twice in overtime.

Matt Nieto (B) – It’s kind of surprising to look at the Avs possession numbers after games and see Nieto near the top quite a bit. He’s just playing solid. He’s not irreplaceable by any means but he’s doing his job.

Mikko Rantanen (D) – Rough night for the big Finn. Ended the night with no shots on goal and didn’t create a whole lot.

Carl Soderberg (B+) – This guy looks like a man on a mission this year. He’s playing heavy out there, even throwing a big hit near center ice in the second period. He’s earning that money this year.

Dominic Toninato (INC) – It’s really hard to judge a guy that plays so little, and barely touched the ice in the second half of the game.

Semyon Varlamov (C) – That was a very quiet game for Varly.  He didn’t have to make any huge saves overall, and the flow of the game was bizarre so he wasn’t getting consistent shots.  He has struggled a few times with covering easy plays this year, and that happened on the second goal.

Nail Yakupov (D) – He’s very much a specialist on the team right now, and his ice time was almost nonexistent.  Made some turnovers in the neutral zone and didn’t see a ton of time late

Nikita Zadorov (A) – He’s on fire with his second goal in two games.  He led the Avs defenders in possession and played great all night.  Made several smart pinches at the offensive blueline to keep plays alive and create offense.

The Avalanche continue their homestand on Friday night when they take on the New Jersey Devils.  The game starts at 7 PM MST.