Avs Preseason Game 2 Grades: Better effort, same result

Playing a more veteran lineup, with many of their NHL regulars dressing up front, the Colorado Avalanche put up 47 shots in regulation but were unable to beat either Dallas goaltender more than once, losing by a score of 2-1.

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

Cale Makar – B: Crazy to think this is Makar’s first preseason game in an Avs uniform. There are definite areas to improve with him, particularly on the power play, but he flashed brilliance at times in the offensive zone and nearly created a shorthanded breakaway for himself.

Mark Alt – C+:  The Eagles captain was having a really strong night before losing his man in coverage in the neutral zone on the Stars opening goal. Never one for speed, once Alt lost his positioning he never had a chance to get back.

Matt Calvert – A: Calvert and Bellemare looked like they had played together for ten years. They know where each other is on the ice and their styles mesh perfectly. Calvert almost got himself a shorthanded goal late in the game as well.

Valeri Nichushkin – C-: The Russian winger got off to a strong start, drawing a penalty early in the game and having a nice chance off the wall in the first. After that, his game fell apart, looking a little lost and getting the puck taken off him with ease. He probably won’t get a better opportunity in preseason in terms of linemates.

Logan O’Connor – B+: Would it surprise anyone if O’Connor started the year with the Avs, given the injuries and no Rantanen in camp? He played third wheel to the veterans on his line but didn’t look completely out of place.

Nathan MacKinnon – C: We know what MacKinnon can do, and he didn’t go all out tonight. The chemistry with Burakovsky isn’t there yet, and you could tell MacKinnon was not eager to give him the puck. Trust needs to be built there.

J.T. Compher – C+: He will almost certainly be the Swiss army knife for this team up front, filling in where he’s needed, as he played both PK and PP tonight. I’m not entirely convinced he’s a center, but he seems a lock to start in that third-line role.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – A: Hard to have a better debut with your team than what PEB did. He knows what type of player he is, and doesn’t stray from that. Got the game started with some nice plays and a goal from crashing the net and ended with 5 shots on goal and a fight.

Mark Barberio – B-: Fighting for his life, Barberio had a much better effort tonight, generating 8 shots of his own, with 5 of them on net. The penalty right after giving up the go ahead goal was a real buzzkill, however.

Bowen Byram – C: A little better from Byram tonight. He showed a little bit more on both ends of the ice and even drew a penalty. The end of the game, however, was not great, as he was patient trying of find a breakout and instead of waiting a little bit longer, just slapped it around the boards to a waiting Stars forward, who ended up scoring the flukey game winner. Through two games, I’m not sure that he’s NHL ready, but the preseason isn’t over.

Calle Rosen – C+: I thought Rosen was very up and down this evening. What I really liked was his stick work, particularly in the neutral zone, breaking up some plays before they had a chance to get dangerous. What I didn’t like was that he seemed nervous with the puck, missing some passes and completely whiffing on the puck early in the game. He didn’t look out of place on the PK, which may help him win a spot.

Samuel Girard – C: The only Avs player not to register a shot on net, Girard had a pretty blah night. He tried to do a little too much at times breaking it out, which led to some turnovers. He did, however, spin Tye Felhaber into oblivion in the second period, and that was one of the highlights of the game.

Martin Kaut – B+: Jared Bednar called it Kaut’s best game in an Avs uniform, and it’s hard to disagree. He was engaged in both ends of the ice and was willing to let his big shot go on the power play from the wall. I think he may have earned more of an opportunity.

Joonas Donskoi – B: In training camp, Donskoi put on a bit of a show on the PK, and for one shift tonight, he did the same. That could earn him more ice time, which is what he wants. He and Kadri had good chemistry and created some chances all night long, and his quick hands were on display for the fans that made it to the Pepsi Center.

Matt Nieto – C: When Nieto got out there with Bellemare and Calvert, the line was very noticeable. When he was with his regular linemates in Compher and Kaut, he was less noticeable. He’s got his spot on lockdown and did well on the PK, which is expected.

Nazem Kadri – B: The summer’s big acquisition generated 5 shots on goal, and missed the net with another opportunity. That’s what he can bring to the second line, and the Avs saw a taste of that this evening. He ended up taking 19 face-offs on the night as well, winning 53% of them.

Gabriel Landeskog – C: The Captain seemed to be getting a little too cute with the puck tonight, and took a penalty in the defensive zone that was fairly obvious. He went two periods without getting a shot on net.

Andre Burakovsky – C-: You can probably count on one hand the number of times Burakovsky touched the puck on the power play, as the other four skaters rarely looked his way. He didn’t seem to be on the same page as his linemates, who admittedly weren’t great themselves. He did have one nice shift in the second period where he set up two good chances, but other than that, not a great showing.

Philipp Grubauer – C+: Tough game to evaluate, because he seemed to go long stretches, especially in the second, where he didn’t see any shots. The only goals scored on him were a breakaway and a flukey goal. I imagine he gets in two more starts before the season starts.

The Avs next preseason game will be on Saturday night in Minnesota. The game starts at 4 PM MST.