Avs Preseason Game 2 Grades - Two in a Row

The Avalanche won their second straight preseason game, beating the Dallas Stars 4-2.  They were outplayed most of the game, a lot like they had been the last two seasons, but with a lot of new players and a new coach, there will be some growing pains.

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

Tyson Barrie (C+) – Barrie had an up and down night.  He didn’t have his best night defensively, making a poor pinch early that led to a 2 on 1, but he also made a great cross ice pass to Whitney for the first goal of the game.  He was used a lot on the penalty kill and played very well in that role, so that’s something to look for this season.

Francois Beauchemin (B-) – Beauchemin was the only defenseman on the team who ended up with positive possession numbers.  He screened Pickard on the first goal (he had a talk with Picks not longer after), but made a nice pinch to tie the game early in the third.

Sergei Boikov (D) – After a strong camp, it was disappointing to see Boikov struggle badly the first two periods.  He had  a lot of trouble with the puck, including several turnovers, and took a bad penalty after one of his turnovers.  He did recover and play well in the third period.

Gabriel Bourque (C) – Bourque got pounded in terms of shot attempts tonight, but he had good moments.  One of the Avs’ few sustained pressure shifts in the second was because of his forechecking, and he crashed the net hard to help create the tying goal.  The penalty he took in the third was a dangerous hit, but he does play that type of game.

Joe Colborne (C) – Colborne had a relatively quiet night.  He had some good moments in the offensive zone where it was very tough for the Stars to get the puck off his stick.   It will be interesting to see how he fits with a Duchene or MacKinnon, because he is not a very good skater.

Blake Comeau (C) – Comeau had good moments on the penalty kill, but he was just kind of “there” most of the night.  As a veteran with a guaranteed spot on the team, that’s not terribly surprising.

J.T. Compher (C) – I was a little disappointed in Compher’s game, in that he wasn’t as feisty as he has shown in camp.  He had a few nice rushes up the ice, including one in the third that almost resulted in a nice wrap around, but for the most part, he was quiet out there.  The Avs are giving him a good look, as he played some pretty heavy minutes.

A.J. Greer (B-) – For his first professional hockey game, he showed well.  He made some really nice defensive plays on the penalty kill and had a few takeaways that led to rushes and clears.  I would imagine he gets another preseason game to show where he’s at.

Rocco Grimaldi (C+) – Grimaldi was one of the few Avs skaters who was able to enter the zone carrying the puck rather than dumping it in tonight.  He did have issues with the puck at times, but he continued with his strong camp.

Sam Henley (B-) – Henley had a few fantastic blocks on the penalty kill in the first period, and earned praise from the coach in the postgame press conference.  Defensively, he’s very smart and puts his body on the line, but there isn’t a ton of skill there.  The good news is that he seems to be aware of that and keeps his game simple.

Jarome Iginla (C-) – Iginla was used the same way he was last year on the PP and got a few nice shots from that spot, but at even strength, he was a complete non-factor.  At 39, probably won’t see him do a ton in the preseason, but his role this year will be one to watch, as his even strength effectiveness is limited.

Anton Lindholm (D) – Lindholm almost had the opposite game of Boikov.  He started the game well, but from the second period on, it was a bit of a disaster for him.  He had a few real bad turnovers in his own end and got burned for a breakaway just seconds before the Stars scored their second goal.  He is incredibly feisty for being a smaller player.

Cody McLeod (C) – I don’t know what happened between him and Andrew Bodnarchuk, but they do not like each other and got into it at least three times tonight.  It was a McLeod game.  Threw a questionable hit, had to fight because of it, and then didn’t see much ice time the rest of the night.

Jim O’Brien (C) – O’Brien was an under the radar signing this summer, but he’s a former high pick that has NHL experience, and I could see him getting games this year.  He’s a very good skater and made a real smart play to be patient and wait for a lane on the game-winning goal.  He did not spend a lot of time in the offensive zone other than that play tonight.

Calvin Pickard (B+) – Pickard was giving up rebounds early in the game, but settled down a bit after that.  He didn’t have a lot of help tonight.  The first goal was a great shot by Faksa, and the second was a tough bounce off of Faksa’s chest.

Kent Simpson (B+) – He was lucky and wasn’t tested much in the third, but when he was, he looked good.  He made a nice glove save at one point, and bailed out Beauchemin on a different save.

Ben Smith (B) – For a team that struggled to have the puck tonight, Smith always found himself around it.  Sometimes he did good things, other times, not so much, but he’s now got two goals in two games, and the coach has now praised him after both preseason games.

Fedor Tyutin (D) – The Avs fans at the game getting their first look at Tyutin probably didn’t come away with a great first impression of him.  He spent most of the night in his own end defending, and had issues moving the puck.  He’s not a great skater at this point in his career, but he did use his smarts to at least break up a few plays tonight.

Joe Whitney (C) – He scored on a nice one-timer early in the game, but after that just disappeared.  He’s listed at 5’6″, but he might be smaller than that.  He looks tiny out there.

Patrick Wiercioch (D) – Wiercioch’s strength is his puck moving, and that was not on display tonight.  He struggled defensively and took a bad hooking penalty in the first when he was beaten by a much faster player.  Like Tyutin, skating is not a strong point for Wiercioch, so we’ll see how that works for him in this uptempo system.

The Avalanche return to the ice on Friday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings.  The game starts at 7 PM.