Avalanche Player Grades [Game 1]: “Half our team didn’t show up”

The Colorado Avalanche did not play a good game. Head coach Jared Bednar put it best after the game when he said, “half the team didn’t show up.”

The Stars controlled the pace of play — that is to say, Dallas slowed the game down to half-speed — which has proven to be one of the few ways to defeat this Avalanche team. If you take their legs away from them, you take 90 percent of their offense away. The Avalanche are a rush-attack team, and Dallas didn’t allow that.

Let’s get to it…