Weekly Grades: Jonathan Drouin Edition

7 months ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images


The Avs snapped a win streak and Nathan MacKinnon’s home points streak this week, but were the any good? We’re back with the Colorado Avalanche weekly report card! This week Colorado snapped a nine game winning streak with back-to-back losses at home. But were they any good?
THE GAMES
Sunday vs Pittsburgh: 5-4 W
Tuesday vs Montreal: 2-1 L
Thursday vs New York Rangers: 3-2 SOL

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jonathan Drouin: I could watch this game winner on loop for a WHILE:


Thank you Jonathan Drouin for nine straight wins! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/9TjA3wit5h— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 24, 2024




What a play! Power, persistence, and patience all in one smooth motion to cap off a comeback with his second goal and third point of the afternoon. That’s worth an A all on its own – but he wasn’t done.
Against the Habs and Rangers, Drouin didn’t put up any points but he was fantastic driving play and defensively on the top line with Nate and Mikko. That trio dominated their ice time in both games and fully deserved some better results than they got on the stat sheet. Drouin’s effort plays were a huge part of that, doing all the little things his detractors have said he could never do his entire career. A
STAR WATCH
Nathan MacKinnon: 2 Goals, 2 Assists
As of now, the streak is over. He may have made the pass to Devon Toews that led to a goal, but it was ruled that Ryan Lindgren put the puck in his own net so the goal was officially unassisted. The league may still change it, but right now it stings. Regardless, it doesn’t take away from an excellent week from the great Nate.


Nathan MacKinnon. *send tweet* #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ts24sVKuuX— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 24, 2024




That separation he gets from Sidney Crosby is subtle brilliance – most players drive the far post there, so Crosby is covering that play and Nate just pulls up and creates a passing angle for Drouin to feed him the one timer. That Pittsburgh game was an amazing team comeback, but Nate not only got the tying goal there, he assisted on the OT winner and another goal and off the scoresheet his effort was the engine powering everything.


Ignore the Habs goal, watch Nathan MacKinnon instead! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/rkzmDndUQJ— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 27, 2024




Was excellent against Montreal and New York too, just couldn’t find the bounces to make more of an impact on the scoresheet. The one big knock? The powerplay was atrocious all week and he’s obviously a huge part of that. A
Cale Makar: 1 Assist
Statistically not a good week from Makar, but on the ice he was extremely impactful. His metrics were excellent, particularly in the losses to the Habs and Rangers. He and Toews won their matchups, the puck just didn’t go in for Makar or the guys he was passing to. A-
Valeri Nichushkin: 0 points
Val looked slow and unengaged against the Penguins and Canadiens, and then was ruled out with a lower body injury before the New York game. That injury likely explains his lackluster play earlier in the week. The powerplay was clearly missing Nuke’s full-strength contributions. C
Mikko Rantanen: 1 assist
Two weeks ago I said the Moose was back to Moosin’ at a high level. Last week his play fell off but the points still came. This week, he struggled a bit in a couple different ways. Against the Pens Mikko was a bit of a ghost – his unengaged play was a big part of the Avs digging a 4-0 hole, and he somehow didn’t contribute any points to the comeback.
The Montreal game was a great bounceback effort, but Sam Montembault and his posts denied Rantanen despite truly dominant underlying statistics. Igor Shesterkin then one upped Montembault and denied 5 high danger chances from Mikko without any post help, though Rantanen did contribute to a goal by poking Lindgren’s stick on the so called own goal that sent the game to overtime.


"Clearly hits Rantanen's stick" yeah ok pic.twitter.com/sNydugEtKw— x - Snapback (@Snapback46) March 29, 2024




You’re not gonna convince me Rantanen’s poke had nothing to do with that going in. He deserved a point there after an excellent effort all over the ice. B
MINDING THE NET
Justus Annunen:
Got rewarded for his play this season with a two year contract extension, then gave up two iffy goals against the Canadiens. He certainly deserved some more goal support as he tightened up his play down the stretch, but you just need a little more from Jus on this one:


Nick Suzuki responds to MacKinnon's opening tally with a goal just NINE seconds later, tying the score at 1!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fMffHNMjKk— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 27, 2024




That was a gaping 5-hole. C+
Alexandar Georgiev:
He was so good against the Rangers I want to fully forgive him for the four Penguins goals. Both Ranger goals were flukey bounces in around the net that you can’t ask more from a goalie on, and the rest of that game he went save for save against Shesterkin. That was a downright great goalie battle between two excellent netminders.



Those are very strong numbers behind a strong defensive effort from the Avs skaters. But we do have to talk about Pittsburgh. It started with a bad rebound on a Crosby backhand that fell straight to Puljujarvi for a tap in. Bryant Rust then got around the defense and tucked one in back post. Crosby added a bad angle tip in, and seconds later Pierre-Oliver Joseph threw in this trash.


We see you, @POJoseph15 pic.twitter.com/t6IVfF3fIn— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 24, 2024




How does the same player play these two drastically different games? Which guy will show up in the playoffs? And isn’t it crazy that his bad game was the win while his good one was a loss? That’s the book on Georgiev this season. All that matters is a good final chapter. B+
ROLE PLAYER HONOR ROLL
Brandon Duhaime: His work on the Avs second goal against the Pens helped spark the comeback, and the PK stayed strong – still no powerplay goals against with him on the ice as an Av. Added a nice assist on Mittlestadt’s goal against New York. A-
DUNCE CAP IN MY DOGHOUSE DUNGEON
Josh Manson: I’m confused by where he was going on this one:


A power play from Chris Kreider indeed pic.twitter.com/PfLnKSCEoO— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 29, 2024




Just got lost I guess? He had moments like that against the Pens as well, and despite stronger metrics against Montreal he also looked off that night. C-
THE REST
Andrew Cogliano: No counting stats, and middling underlying stats, but Cogs was flying this week and creating a ton with his feet that just didn’t end up becoming anything. B
Ross Colton: Dreadful underlyings against the Penguins despite notching an assist, but bounced back as the week went on. B-
Jean-Luc Foudy: Only got four and a half minutes in his callup against the Rangers, but helped created two high danger chances while giving up no shots or chances against. B+
Sam Girard: Got left on an island on the Rangers powerplay goal, but otherwise perfect on the PK and strong at even strength. B
Jack Johnson: At this point he goes as Sean Walker goes – their pair was excellent against the Pens, bad against the Habs, and won their matchups by a hair against the Rangers. JJ didn’t do much to stand out positively or negatively. C+
Artturi Lehkonen: Quiet week from Lehky. He and Casey Middestadt haven’t found their chemistry as linemates yet. The defense and forechecking was still strong, just didn’t turn that effort into much offense. C+
Casey Mittlestadt: The Pens game could have been his worst as an Av, as he just didn’t create offense and got rocked in his matchup against Evgeni Malkin. But then he got worked by Nick Suzuki:


Nick Suzuki responds to MacKinnon's opening tally with a goal just NINE seconds later, tying the score at 1!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fMffHNMjKk— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 27, 2024




Lost the draw, lost track of his man, and lost a board battle all in quick succession. That was rough. After that play he was much better, dominating his ice time despite failing to score. He kept up the strong play against New York and potted the opening goal at the end of the second period:


Casey Mittelstadt breaks the ice with 33 seconds remaining in the second period! pic.twitter.com/BlQhBq6uIX— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2024




That’s great stuff, the kind of shooting mentality his detractors are looking for. He broke even in his primary matchup against Artemi Panarin’s line. B
Zach Parise: Quite good in the metrics all week despite zeros on the stat sheet B
Devon Toews: Dominant possession metrics, great defensive play, and a game tying goal against the Rangers? Toews rocks. Just wish he got the goal clean so Nate could have an assist. A
Yakov Trenin: Was solid in very limited minutes. Gave up the first shorthanded goal since he got here against the Rangers, but that was Manson’s fault. B
Sean Walker: The best underlying stats on the team against Pittsburgh, and his goal started the comeback:


Sean Walker continues to look good getting the Avs on the board! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/47N4fbVE2F— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 24, 2024




He was also very good against the Rangers after a rougher game against the Habs. B
Miles Wood: Continues to post bottom of the group underlying stats, and wasn’t particularly noticeable all week. C-
TEAM GRADE
Well, two losses certainly stings. Oddly, the comeback win in Pittsburgh was actually the worst effort of the week as the Avalanche buried themselves through the first half of the game.



That’s atrocious work, but they rallied to force OT and honestly once they made it 4-3 it seemed like a comeback win was inevitable – they controlled the entire ice and earned the W. The same could be said about the Montreal game.



But of course, they got goalied and posted and hockey godded and puck lucked and PDOed and whatever other excuse you want to make – frankly, they dominated the Habs but couldn’t overcome giving up two stinker goals early. They took that frustration into the matchup of the week with the Rangers, and dominated that too.



But again, the bounces didn’t fall in their favor and Colorado fell to an opponent they outplayed. It happens in hockey, we all know that, but there is factor in Avalanche control that they simply have to improve – the powerplay.
It’s 1 for its last 12, and with just one powerplay goal against the Habs or Rangers would most likely have shifted those games into the win column. It’s particularly frustrating since it seems to be a consistent problem all year, though there’s also possibly a simple solution: When Val Nichushkin has been in the lineup healthy, the powerplay has been dominant. When he’s out, it’s bad. Get him healthy quick, training staff. B+...

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