Avs-Sharks Game 3 player grades: Inconsistent effort

Sven Andrighetto (D) – Got back into the lineup and the shot metrics look good but I thought he looked awfully rusty. The speed was there but he was hesitant with the puck and one of his best attributes is he’s trigger-happy when he gets it. He was a little turnover prone because of his tentativenes and just looked ineffective overall. If he plays in Game 4, I expect a better showing without the rust.

Tyson Barrie (D) – Lots of turnovers tonight. He was pressing hard and certainly was trying to make things happen but it just wasn’t working tonight. He wasn’t the superhero we’ve seen in the playoffs so far and it showed. The offense takes just a bit of a step back when he’s not at his absolute best.

Gabriel Bourque (B-) – Bourque continues to be just fine in the playoffs and he drew a penalty in the second period when the Avs needed to get something going. He’s hanging tough in a very limited role.

Derick Brassard (D) – There were chances for him tonight and there’s just nothing doing with him. I don’t know what’s wrong here but he continues to do mostly nothing out there. His best scoring chance was created by Jost and the puck went between his legs, a pretty good microcosm of the season he’s had.

Ian Cole (C-) – Regardless of anything else, the penalties just have to stop. The officiating was inconsistent (putting it kindly) tonight so I understand it’s tough for players to always know where the line is but he’s too frequently finding himself in the box. He did get an assist on the MacKinnon goal, though.

J.T. Compher (C-) – I can’t say I noticed him much at all tonight. He hasn’t really been a factor in this series at all. The Avs need more from him.

Samuel Girard (B-) – There were some turnovers but he was more aggressive offensively than we’ve seen lately and it paid off with an assist on the game-tying goal in the third period. The Avs look like they’ve found something potentially special with 49 and 8 together.

Philipp Grubauer (B-) – Grubauer put up another solid performance but the game-winning goal was just a touch on the soft side but the real issue I had was he was the beneficiary of San Jose hitting five posts tonight. This could have been a bloodbath had he not gotten help from the iron giants behind him. He hasn’t been on the same level he was against Calgary (no surprise, that was an extremely high level) but he’s keeping the Avs competitive.

Erik Johnson (F) – I thought EJ was really effective on the PK and that unit was definitely the better of the two special teams groups. That said, EJ’s turnover and failure to meaningfully contest Timo Meier’s shot on the second SJ goal is the kind of self-inflicted wound that is very hard to recover from in a postseason. He played just over 10 minutes at even strength tonight so clearly the coaching staff is as concerned about his porous play this series as the rest of us.

Tyson Jost (B) – I thought Jost was a bright spot again and he got a little extra burn on a different line and the Avs tied the game on that shift. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. His process continues to significantly outpace his production in the postseason but it might be time to give him more of an extended look.

Alexander Kerfoot (C-) – I thought Kerfoot made some very nice plays at different points in the game but he took an avoidable interference penalty in the offensive zone when the Avs were laying it on the Sharks. Just a huge killer for a team that struggled to find things to feel good about in the slugfest that was tonight’s game. His lack of finish is also a problem when he’s seeing so much ice time next to MacKinnon and Landeskog.

Gabriel Landeskog (F) – They don’t happen often but Landeskog dropped a real stinker of a game tonight. He was softer on pucks than normal and had major turnover issues, especially the last one that turned into the game-winning goal or San Jose.

Cale Makar (B-) – Good shot metrics, electric play at times. But it’s clear there is still a learning curve on the way for Makar on the defensive side of things. This was the second straight game he’s been beaten in front of a goal against. That’s a tough place to learn the game and he’ll get plenty of leash because his talent is so special but it’s definitely an area he needs to focus on improving. Stanley Cup Playoffs is a brutal place to learn about the physicality of crease battles in the NHL. Welcome to the show, kid.

Nathan MacKinnon (B) – An electric goal but there were some serious mental gaffes tonight. He looked just a touch disjointed and for the first time in the playoffs, he and Landeskog got straight beat up in the shot share department. Great goal and eight shot attempts show it wasn’t all bad for him but the Avs need him to be legitimately dominant to take down the Sharks.

Matt Nieto (A) – My only A grade of the night. Nieto didn’t play much at even strength but he was effective and got his fourth goal of the posteason, matching his regular season goal total. This is a reminder of what an effective player he was for San Jose three years ago when he helped them in their run to the Cup finals.

Mikko Rantanen (D) – Some nights he’s Baby Jagr, other nights he reverts back to baby goat. Tonight was definitely more of the baby goat with sloppy play all over the ice. He had some nice chances but missed on all of them. It’s a testament to how dangerous he is that he can play poorly like this and still be involved in some great scoring opportunities.

Carl Soderberg (D) – I’m at a loss to what happened to the ultra effective version of Soderberg we saw in the regular season. He’s totally disappeared and given way to a player who just can’t seem to get going this postseason.

Colin Wilson (D-) – There have been a grip of games where Wilson has been rock steady and reliable in what he gives the Avs. Tonight was not one of those games. He was way too sloppy with the puck and looked like he just couldn’t get a handle on anything he was doing. This was a disappointing night.

Nikita Zadorov (B) – An odd night for Big Z. He did some great things, he did some questionable things. He also had 11 hits and seems determined to crush Evander Kane at every turn. He’s been a consistent physical force for the Avs and that’s why I am skewing towards the positive here. You’d like to see him get that booming shot through traffic more often and certainly better decisions with the puck on the breakout but he’s being asked to be the enforcer and he’s nailing that job.