Avs Preseason Game 2 Grades: Feisty preseason win

Jack Johnson – C

It was a bit of a step back for JJ in this one. He took another penalty, which was a pretty blatant interference that he didn’t disguise all that well, considering the ref was about five feet away. Penalties may be a concern when the regular season starts. Beyond that, it was a little more sloppy with the puck. He did have some nice pinches to keep plays alive.

Erik Johnson – A

Boy was that fun to see. EJ seemed ready for real action in camp and didn’t shy away from physical play at all, including a nice open-ice hit in the first period. The goal was a thing of beauty, and it came just after Kadri was robbed off a nice setup by EJ. Not a huge fan of a vet like him blocking slappers on the penalty kill, but it’s in his DNA, so you can’t stop it.

Dylan Sikura – C

I really disliked his first period but he got better as the game went on. There’s clearly skill there, and he did have some good vision on the powerplay but didn’t seem to have much in terms of a shot.

Mikhail Maltsev – C

Weird game from him. I liked his stick defensively, and then he would get muscled off the puck by smaller players. He looked lost on the first penalty kill shift where the Wild scored, then got better as the game went on. Really having a hard time getting a read on him as a player so interested in more viewings.

Tyson Jost – C

Very quiet first half of the game that ramped up for him in the second when he drove the net to draw a penalty. The second half of the game was more the Jost of last year where he just grinds everything out.

Alex Newhook – C-

Interesting game. Newhook looked at home on the powerplay in his spot on the left side wall, hitting the post from there. He had a nice shift on the PK late as well, but for the most part, at even strength he was…pretty invisible. He moved around a lot, starting at center, and ending on the wing, so the staff looks to still be figuring out the best way to use him.

Jacob MacDonald – C

A better showing than his first preseason game, that’s for sure. He was skating and trying to move up into the play, but also made some poor pinches at the offensive blue line.

Oskar Olausson – B

The biggest surprise is the quick improvement from Olausson. He looked pretty lost in the rookie tournament but the last week looks like a different player. One thing he does not lack is confidence with the puck and in his shot, and that’s something you love to see. Sounds like he’ll be getting another game, even though there is very little chance he’s sticking around.

J.T. Compher – C+

The slash at center ice on Hartman was obvious from the press box, and Bednar didn’t seem too happy with it after the game. Really nice play on the game-winning goal, but, like Newhook, Avs still trying to find the right fit for him, as he started at wing and ended at center.

Kiefer Sherwood – C-

Can’t say I noticed Sherwood all that much tonight, and in a game where some of the other depth forwards did stand out, that’s not great news.

Dennis Gilbert – C

Big hit in the first period along the wall to get him into the game, but had serious issues with the puck for most of the night, which isn’t a huge surprise, because that’s not his game. The fight in the second period seemed pretty random because it wasn’t the guy who actually ran into the goalie, so I don’t know what it really served.

Samuel Girard – A

Sammy is Sammy. Nothing to see here really. He’s a great player and looked ready for the season. In the first, made a great read on a 4 on 2 rush by just watching the puck carrier’s eyes and reading where he was trying to pass it too and picking it off. Not often do you get bombs from him, so you take them when you get them.

Kurtis MacDermid – F

All the fears entering the season were realized. He looked slow, out of position on defense, and really struggled with the puck. Getting beat wide and shoving a player into your new starting goaltender is one thing, but then he just stood there and didn’t do anything about it. After everything settled down at center ice, THEN he got really mad at Foligno. It was almost like he remembered why he was brought in, but it was too late. Certainly hope he’s not used extensively on defense.

Martin Kaut – D-

He had a few good passes to start the second period, but for the most part, this was about as bad a game as he could have had to start his preseason after a really good camp. He got caught watching on the Fiala PP goal, was on the wrong side of the puck on a few plays, and just generally was uninvolved most of the night, to the point where he barely played the final half of the game. That’s not a good sign.

Andreas Wingerli – C+

He’s a bit like a waterbed, always moving and annoying the opposing team. Too bad he hit the post on the play because his speed sure seemed to catch Hammond off guard in the second when he ventured too far out of his net. Did well on the penalty kill in his time there.

Sampo Ranta – A+

On the flip side of Kaut, if you are in a battle to make the team, it’s hard not to have a better night than Sampo. I still have concerns about how his offense will translate at this level, but what was on display was his skating and power. There were a few times when Wild defenders tried to stand him up and he just put a shoulder into them and they bounced off. If the team really does want to get bigger up front, he may be their man.

Nazem Kadri – B+

Penalties aside (I didn’t even see what happened to get a misconduct), a three-point night is not a bad way to start a redemption contract year. Avs will need a big year from him and that’s a good start.

Gabriel Landeskog – C

Great feed to EJ on his goal, but took a few penalties (the one late was whatever) and missed a good chunk of the game because of it. He was in mid-season form with his hate of Hartman, though. I actually was glad the refs didn’t let them fight. No one needs Landy breaking a hand in a preseason fight.

Darcy Kuemper – D

Sometimes goalies take some time to adjust to new teams and systems, so I think there will be some tougher moments early in the year, but he looked a little jumpy, certainly on that third goal right before he left. I bet he gets two more starts to get him ready to start the year.

Justus Annunen – B+

The rebound control looks like it needs a lot of work, but super calm and relaxed in net and you can easily see why the organization is all-in on this guy. Coming in cold and stopping 19 of 20 isn’t bad at all.