Avs Preseason Game 4 Grades: Winning makes everything better

Breaking their goose egg this preseason, the Colorado Avalanche were able to get on the board, coming out ahead of the Minnesota Wild by a score of 3-2 in a shootout.

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

Dan Renouf – B-: I’m not sure Renouf has much of a shot at making the team, but he’s making an impression on the staff with his abrasiveness. A big hit last night, and a fight tonight. To go with that, he did pick up two assists. Did look a little lost on the Wild’s power play goal though.

Cale Makar – B-: He’s going to have to learn where to pick his spots, but boy is he a fun player to watch. Some really nice pinches in the offensive zone to extend zone time, but also some questionable decisions, trying to make moves when it just wasn’t there, particularly in the defensive zone. It’s easy to forget how little NHL experience he has.

Jayson Megna – B+: At this point, the veteran may be a dark horse to make the team with the injuries upfront. He picked up another goal and has been used by the staff on both the power play and penalty kill.

Shane Bowers – B+: I have never seen Coach Bednar sound so excited when talking about a player as he was after the game. Bowers is earning a long look because his play has been exceptional. He almost won it in overtime and had a few shifts where he looked like he was never going to give the puck up. His NHL career may begin sooner than later.

Sheldon Dries – C-: He’s been given some real opportunities, playing with good players the last two games, but hasn’t done much with it. He did have a nice drive wide to create a chance for Kadri in front but has been generally quiet. Zero shot attempts tonight.

Tyson Jost – B: I liked his game in the offensive zone tonight, but thought he struggled in the defensive zone, including a flub in the first period that Grubauer bailed him out on. A goal early in preseason can hopefully build his confidence for the year. I like him more at center than wing.

Logan O’Connor – C-: Much quieter game tonight, perhaps from playing with lesser players. There’s not a lot of top-end skill there, but I think his skating may be enough for him to earn a spot, given the way the Avs like to play.

TJ Tynan – D: He has gotten quite a bit of power play time and not done much with it, clearing the zone with a few flubbed passes. He seems destined to play a big role for the Eagles.

Mark Barberio – C: I think Barbs has gotten a little better in each game. He didn’t truly stand out in any way tonight. He let the pass through for the Wild’s first goal, but it was kind of a broken play that led to it, so not sure he really can take much blame.

Bowen Byram – C+: He looked a little bit more comfortable tonight, but playing with Makar, he didn’t have to do a whole lot with the puck. My biggest gripe with him has been his unwillingness to put the puck towards the net, which has been a big surprise given he scored a ton in the WHL. Zero shot attempts tonight and he had plenty of chances to let it rip.

Colin Campbell – C: The fact that he made it this far is surprising, but he showed some effort tonight. Picked up an assist on the Megna goal, and then seconds later looked lost on the Wild’s power play goal.

Calle Rosen – B-: Through the first 30 minutes, I thought he was the Avs’ best defenseman, but he had some issues later in the game, giving up the puck a few times due to a heavy forecheck. He had a brutal giveaway on the penalty kill in the third period that Grubauer bailed him out on. His acceleration to draw a penalty in overtime was impressive, given his size.

Samuel Girard – B-: I liked Sam more tonight than the other night. He struggled to get his shot through on a few occasions but was more willing to shoot the puck. His ability to just skate the puck out is second to none in the NHL.

Nick Henry – C: Henry looked to have a goal in the third period, but from what I saw, he pretty clearly pushed Stalock into the net, so it was the right call to disallow it. A few nice shot blocks, but ultimately, he was sent to the AHL after the game to start his pro career.

Joonas Donskoi – B: This man is basically a guaranteed controlled zone entry, but you can kind of see why he hasn’t been a big-time goal scorer in the league, despite creating a good amount. He had a nice chance on the power play, alone in front off a nice feed from Bowers, but put it right in Stalock’s chest.

Nazem Kadri – B: He took two penalties, but I’m not sure he really did anything wrong on either of them. He was feisty tonight, and was dominant in the face-off circle, winning 15 of the 22 he took. He’s the ideal #2C behind MacKinnon.

Gabriel Landeskog – B+: The Captain was back to his old self tonight, controlling the puck down low, which really led to the Jost goal in the first. The shootout winner was awfully nice, and Landeskog has proven to be pretty good in shootouts.

Andre Burakovsky – F: Through three games, he’s easily the biggest disappointment of the new guys. He looks disengaged often, and when he’s been set up to shoot, he waits too long and misses the net often (4 of his 5 attempts missed the net). Plays are just dying on his stick. You can see the skill is there, but you can also see why his ice time consistently dropped in Washington. You just hope it clicks at some point.

Philipp Grubauer – B: In his two games, Grubauer hasn’t really faced a ton of pressure, but he’s been solid overall. He made a huge right pad save in the third period to keep the game tied, and made a nice one in overtime on the Wild’s only real chance as well. He looks calmer in net this year than he did last preseason.

The Avs preseason continues when they head to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights on Wednesday. The game starts at 8 PM MST.