Avs-Stars preseason grades: Another meaningless loss

The Colorado Avalanche lost 3-1 to the Dallas Stars tonight. Below are player grades.

Mark Alt (C-) – I guess I have to stop making All-Star jokes when Alt plays like this. He’s had solid moments in the preseason but almost none of them came tonight. He spent a lot of time hemmed in his own zone.

Sven Andrighetto (C) – Some explosiveness, as you’d expect. He hit a post so he appears ready for the regular season.

Matt Calvert (C+) – He had a golden chance to tie the game at two in the third period but failed to get a shot off despite being alone in front of the net for a second. Some bright moments on the PK. So far, as advertised.

Patrick Nemeth (C-) – This was his first game back so I’m going to blame the all-mighty power of “rust” on some of his play tonight. Unfortunately, a lot of it was stuff we saw from him last season.

Sheldon Dries (C) – He’s had some impressive moments this preseason and I’ve liked what I’ve seen. He’s an intriguing offensive guy but his all-around guy is not impressive.

Nikita Zadorov (C-) – See: Nemeth, Patrick.

Tyson Jost (B-) – Came out flying in the first period and had two great scoring chances early on. Bishop was up to the task. He got feisty with some of the Stars players as the game went on but he needs to start burying his chances.

Colin Wilson (B) – I really liked his game. There are very Avs players capable of his work along the boards. His inability to finish continues to frustrate and if he finds himself in an offensive role this year that’s going to be something he needs to correct. Hell, he needs to correct it anyway. When you’re alone in front of the net, YOU SHOULD SCORE.

Logan O’Connor (C-) – I just don’t see things going well for him right now. His preseason has been on a consistent downturn since he peaked in Vegas at the Rookie Faceoff.

Ryan Graves (C) – Solid, unspectacular. He’s the only Av to appear in every game in the preseason and while injuries have played a role in that, he’s a guy that has impressed the organization in what might be his last chance at carving out an NHL career.

Carl Soderberg (B) – I loved his effort on the penalty kill. The big Swede skated hard and was involved in a handful of scoring chances, including one that would be a candidate for the save of the year had anyone outside the building seen it.

Sergei Boikov (C-) – Looking for the big hit too much takes him out of position and he really just didn’t play very well overall. His skating still stands out.

Igor Shvyrev (C) – The box score shows two shots on goal and I’ll have to trust that it’s correct because I don’t recall either and didn’t notice Shvyrev at all.

Mark Barberio (C+) – Barberio was in regular season form – some good, some maddening, and most of his play was in between.

Cody Bass (D) – This PTO never made sense to me. It still doesn’t.

Martin Kaut (C+) – I really liked moments for him tonight but they also came with some mistakes. His defensive game is polished for a teenager and that might keep him around.

Ty Lewis (B+) – He was really solid throughout and he scored Colorado’s lone goal. I loved his game. He’s headed to Loveland but he’s a guy to keep a serious eye on.

Vladislav Kamenev (B-) – He made some good plays tonight, including grabbing an assist, but there were some negative plays that held him back. It was his second game in a row with a point but also with a penalty in the third period.

Semyon Varlamov (D) – I thought Varly played pretty poorly tonight. None of the goals were very good and two were lazy rebounds that just didn’t need to happen. Another uninspiring performance from one of Colorado’s NHL goaltenders.