Avs Preseason Game 3 Grades - Big guns are back

The Colorado Avalanche welcomed back three of their core players to the lineup, and continued their nice start to the preseason with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

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

Chris Bigras (D+) – From the sounds of it, Bigras had a strong first preseason game, but tonight wasn’t his best.  He got beat by a quick spin move in the corner from Trevor Lewis and Lewis overpowered him to the net for the only goal of the game for the Kings.  Unfortunately, Bigras and his partner, Erik Johnson, were stuck in their own end a lot and didn’t get a whole lot of offensive zone time at even strength.  He did perform well on the penalty kill.

Troy Bourke (D) – I was looking forward to Bourke getting a bigger shot than he did, since he played well in Minnesota and even got praise from the head coach, but his line struggled to enter the offensive zone and he just didn’t get a lot of offensive zone time.

Gabriel Bourque (C+) – Gabriel is playing with skilled players, but if he makes the team, that’s not the role he’ll be in, so he’s a little miscast right now.  He’s working really hard, though, and he’s relentless on the forecheck.

Rene Bourque (A) – I had my doubts about Rene getting a PTO, but he seems to be earning himself a contract.  He played really well tonight.  He showed nice patience on MacKinnon’s goal and made a nice chip pass to Greer for Grigorenko’s second goal as well.  He had other chances as well, including a post in the third.  At this point, it would take something big for him not to get a contract.

J.T. Compher (D) – I said last game that I wanted to see Compher be a little feistier.  He was tonight, but he took it too far a few times, including a bad penalty in the third period.  The Avs are giving him a good look in all situations, but it appears he is destined to start the year in the AHL.

Turner Elson (B) – Elson did not play a ton, but made the most of his ice time.  He had a mini-breakaway in the second period that went off the crossbar and led to some zone time.  He was around the puck a lot in the third period.

A.J. Greer (B-) – It’s hard not to like Greer on the forecheck.  He’s always on the puck and makes it difficult on the other team.  He had a nice give and go on the power play with Grigorenko, and seemed to have some chemistry with him.  He likely won’t start the year in the NHL, but his development over the last year is very encouraging.

Mikhail Grigorenko (A) – Some fans were concerned about Grigorenko when Roy quit.  His first few preseason games will likely calm some folks down.  He was tremendous tonight, and appears at home at his natural center position.  He was terrific in the faceoff circle, and both of his goals were beautiful.  His first goal, in particular, showed his natural skill, and his willingness to take it to the net showed he’s a confident player at the moment.

Sam Henley (B-) – It’s hard not to like Sam Henley on the penalty kill.  He takes away passing lanes and he throws his body in front of any and every shot.  He had 3 more blocks tonight.  That alone is getting him noticed.  The issue is that he lacks a lot of skill.  Is that what may hold him back from making the NHL full time?  It could be, but the coaches are liking what he’s doing right now.

Erik Johnson (D) – A very lackluster game from EJ.  He definitely could have helped Bigras out on the lone goal, but he didn’t seem to be very aware of the situation.  He had some rough turnovers in the defensive zone as well.  I probably expected more, considering where he was playing prior to coming back to Colorado, but tonight wasn’t great.

Anton Lindholm (B-) – Lindholm had a sub-par debut in North America, but was much better tonight and kept his game simple.  He made quick decision when he got the puck and was physical when he had to defend.

Nathan MacKinnon (B) – MacK was far and away the most talented player on the ice tonight, but he passed up on a few too many shots tonight, and tried to get too cute on the power play.  There was a big scare in the third when he went into the boards hard, but he seemed to be fine.

Andreas Martinsen (C) – Martinsen had one shift where he had 3 huge hits.  The problem?  One of the was along the left boards, the other was on the right boards, and the final one was back along the left boards.  All of them were in the defensive zone, and all of them were within 10 seconds of each other.  He was running around like crazy, and I think it led to some confusion, as the Kings scored a few seconds later.  He got into it a bit with Jeff Carter later in the game, but if he’s going to play physical, he needs to be smarter.

Jim O’Brien (C-) – I like O’Brien’s game, but in the first half of the game, he was not on the ice for a single shot attempt towards the Kings net.  He was great on the penalty kill, but not much happened offensively.

Duncan Siemens (B) – This was probably the strongest game I’ve seen Siemens play, in terms of his ability to move the puck.  He made a few real smart and quick breakout plays, including one where he took the puck away from a forward, avoiding a forecheck, and hit the center up the middle.  He did get walked by Toffoli in the third period, but a strong game from him.

Mike Sislo (C) – Sislo had a quiet game, but did make some smart plays on the power play to open up space for Grigorenko.  He didn’t register a single shot on goal.

Semyon Varlamov (A) – The Kings had a lot of shots, but not a whole lot of them were great.  The most encouraging part about Varly’s game tonight was his ability to swallow up rebounds.  The Kings did not get a lot of second chances, and Varly helped out his defense with that rebound control.

Patrick Wiercioch (A-) – Wiercioch had a rough debut, but some of that could have been contributed to a green partner.  He played with Zadorov tonight, and they appeared to have great chemistry.  Wiercioch made a nice play to step up in the neutral zone, break up a play, and lead the puck the other way, which led to Grigorenko’s first goal.  He also played the right side, which shows some versatility on his end.

Nikita Zadorov (B+) – Z made some bad passes on the 5 on 3 power play, and after he went to the bench, he was upset at himself and Bednar gave him a tap on the head.  Beyond that, he had a strong night.  He and Wiercioch were using the breakout plays that the team has been practicing in camp and they worked well.  Z made a great play carrying the puck into the zone and creating space before dishing it off to Rene Bourque before the MacKinnon goal.  The Avs are getting a good look at him too, as he’s led the team in ice time both games he’s played.

The Avalanche return to the ice on Tuesday when they take on the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center.  The game starts at 7 PM.