Avs-Leafs player grades: eight straight losses

Sven Andrighetto (D) – There just isn’t anything happening here. He did almost create something on the power play but he got spun around and lost his feet. I’m not going to rail on it being a penalty because I’m not sure if it was but it would be nice to see Andrighetto actually contribute a little something.

Tyson Barrie (F) – If MacKinnon can clear the zone, Barrie never takes the penalty that leads to the PPG onslaught by Toronto. But Barrie DID take that penalty. And then he DID completely lose track of his man in front of the net on the fifth goal. I don’t care if it was just the fifth goal and the game was already over. That kind of defensive apathy is flatly unacceptable.

Matt Calvert (C-) – It wasn’t a bad night for Calvert, just not one of real note. He gets dinged for being part of a power play unit that couldn’t have stopped a beer league team tonight. Guilt by association isn’t just a great H2O song, it’s part of the deal in sports.

J.T. Compher (F) – What in the flying hell was Compher thinking with that double-minor? He made poor decisions with the puck in the first and then took the penalty that ultimately ended the game. Just a disaster of a night for JTC.

Sheldon Dries (C) – Anytime Dries is playing 11 minutes, you’re probably getting blown out. Aaaaand there you have it.

Samuel Girard (B+) – I didn’t love his defense tonight but two legit assists and suddenly you can really start to feel good about Sammy G again. For now, anyway.

Ryan Graves (B) – I don’t have any issue with how Graves played on the whole. His goal was great, of course, but he continues to limit his mistakes (though he again made some and lived to tell the tale) and he really seems to have a feel for the NHL. I find myself consistently impressed with how solid overall Graves continues to play.

A.J. Greer (F) – This is an overly harsh grade but for a guy struggling to find ice time, he keeps finding his way to the penalty box just enough for it to be a problem. Opportunity is limited and Greer is once again wasting his with silly penalties. He needs to straighten it out.

Philipp Grubauer (A) – I almost never give replacement goalies a grade but I thought Grubauer was great in his relief appearance. The one goal he gave up had nothing to do with him and everything to do with an apathetic defense in front of him. I’d like to believe this is a glimmer of hope for Grubi but I’ve already been burned too many times by believing in him this year. Still, a nice step for him.

Erik Johnson (D) – I’m not sure laying on your stomach and flailing your stick about counts as “defense” but Johnson sure was insistent on trying tonight. He needs to be better for the Avalanche to be better.

Tyson Jost (C) – Didn’t notice him a lot but he did well in the faceoff circle (four wins, two losses) and registered a shot on goal. It wasn’t a resounding return to the Avalanche but he wasn’t a wallflower, either.

Alexander Kerfoot (B) – Seems like anytime I write a morning skate or practice story about a guy and his struggles, he makes me look bad. I wrote this morning about Kerfoot’s struggles and his three points in his last 13 games. He had a two-point night tonight. Take THAT, AJ.

Gabriel Landeskog (F) – The top line can’t be this bad. Tonight, they were. Landeskog with just two shot attempts total and zero on net? That isn’t going to get it done.

Nathan MacKinnon (F) – The turnovers in the defensive zone were a problem and the offense wasn’t nearly good enough from him tonight to bail himself out of trouble with the grades tonight. MacKinnon has to be MUCH better than he was tonight for the Avs to stand a chance against playoff teams. He was downright pedestrian.

Patrik Nemeth (D) – I don’t care about any ES stuff tonight. What in the world happened on the PK? Total disaster. Not entirely on Nemeth, of course, as he was only on the ice for one of the goals they scored. But Nemeth’s primary role is a shutdown/PK role. He isn’t doing it well enough.

Matt Nieto (C-) – See: Calvert, Matt.

Mikko Rantanen (F) – No shots on goal in a game the Avalanche had three power plays simply feels criminal. This kid needs to find his game in a hurry.

Carl Soderberg (A-) – I’m not sure what it is about Toronto that makes Carl love playing against them as much he does. That should make him an attractive trade deadline piece if the Avs were willing to move on from him.

Semyon Varlamov (B) – I’m not putting tonight on Varly. He made saves. He just got lit up by the highest quality of scoring chances you can get.

Nikita Zadorov (F) – This is just par for the course with the Avs defenders on the PK. I gave them all rough rides because they played matador with the Toronto PP. Not fun.