Avalanche-Stars Player Grades: Cale Makar Sets A Major NHL Record (+)

Avalanche D-man Cale Makar sets an NHL record for reaching 200 points, the quickest to that mark of any defenseman in the history of this game, doing it in 195 games. That’s faster than Bobby Orr or Denis Potvin or Paul Coffey or any other player you want to name.

My player grades from the 3-2 shootout win over the Stars below, on this record-setting night:

Nathan MacKinnon (B): Was buzzing the whole game. He was just not able to find the back of the net or get the assists tonight. One thing for sure, is that MacKinnon is not being selfish at all. MacKinnon drew a Tripping penalty in overtime to put the Avalanche on the power play and kicked Mason Marchment out of the game with a misconduct call. He finished with a team high 10 shots on goal in 29 minutes of ice time, but only 35 percent from the dot.

Artturi Lehkonen (A): Rantenan wrapped the puck around the boards to start a cycle and Lehkonen was able to beat the Stars player to the boards and pass it back to Rantanen, who then got it to Makar on the point for a goal. Lekhonen had one assist in his 26 minutes and three shots on goal.

Mikko Rantanen (A): Was able to draw a penalty to put the Avalanche on the power play in which they took advantage of. Rantanen then saw Makar from behind the net to set him up for the one timer goal from the right side point. Rantanen  had the only goal in the shootout and won the game for the Avalanche. He finished with one assist in his 28 minutes of ice time and four shots on goal.

Martin Kaut (C): Fell into the boards in the first period, showing some discomforts as he left the ice. He was able to return to the bench in the second. He played ten more shifts after the rough fall, adding about 6 more mins to his overall ice time. Kaut finished at a plus-1 for the night. 

Evan Rodrigues (B+): In the third period, Rodrigues picked up a rebound and held it to draw Oettinger over to the right side. He then threw the puck off of the goalie and Newhook was waiting for the rebound and an open net goal. Rodrigues finished with one assist and only at 25 percent at the dot. But he still played a great game otherwise.

Alex Newhook (A): Drew a hooking penalty late in the first penalty to get the Avalanche on the power play but they did not take advantage of it. Newhook took advantage of an open net after a rebound and got his fourth goal of the year. He only took two shots on goal, but one of them went in so that’s all that matters at this point with this kid.

Andrew Cogliano (B): While on the penalty kill, Cogliano stole a pass and took off to the offensive zone for a shot. He had Englund with him on the other side but it turned into a great play.

J.T. Compher (B-):  Blocking several shots on the penalty kill, Compher played well on the defensive end in his 19:44 of ice time. He only had one shot on goal but finished with a 42-percent winning percentage from the dot. For the last-in-the-league Avs of this season in that category, that wasn’t so bad.

Logan O’Connor (C+): He played a big defensive game on the penalty kill in 16:20 of ice time. He had a takeaway and one shot on goal tonight.

Anton Blidh (B-):  Had a couple of plays where he dumped it and chased it into the corner. Blidh was able to beat the defender to the corner and keep the play alive and get a pass to the front of the net.

Dryden Hunt (B-): Had a big presence in the slot tonight. There were times that Hunt was standing there and waiting for a pass, even getting an attempted shot off but the puck slipped off his stick.

Jayson Megna (C): Playing only about five and half minutes in the game, Megna was not very noticeable tonight. The best stat that he put up tonight was that he won three of the five faceoffs that he took. 

Devon Toews (A): Saved a goal in the third to keep the lead for the Avalanche. Toews was able to get down on one knee and block a shot with one foot to save the game with about three minutes left in the game. Toews added to his plus/minus with a plus-1 in 26 minutes on the ice.

Cale Makar (X): Got a perfect pass from Mikko Rantanen at the point for a one timer goal. Makar now has 200 points in 195 games and has become the fastest defenseman to reach 200 points. That deserves this rare X grade – so good it’s obscene.

Makar was able to draw a high sticking penalty in the second period but the Avalanche did not take advantage. Makar had the one goal in a whopping 32:17 of ice time. He’s the best in the business at his position, folks. Thank your lucky stars every night you get to watch him, Avalanche fans.

Andreas Englund (B): During the Manson tripping penalty in the first, Cogliano got a breakaway and Englund stayed with him. He has had his stick down waiting for the pass charging through the slot and towards the net. He looked a lot like a forward, not a defenseman. In the second period Englund pushed Jason Robertson from behind into Georgiev, causing him to not have possession of the puck and a goal to to be ruled by the officials. Englund shot it from the blue line and it hit some traffic in front of the net to bounce to Rodrigues for a shot and then Newhook for a rebound goal.

Josh Manson (A): Drew a penalty as he lost his stick and was trying to kick the puck away from the corner. The puck never cleared the defensive zone so he was never able to get his stick. The Avalanche were able to kill the penalty though. Manson just layed out Mason Marchment and Jamie Benn did not like it. Manson and Benn had a tilt in mid-ice and Manson brought all of his weight to the fight, bringing Benn down like a sack of potatoes. It was a most satisfying sight for the many Avs fans who remember his many cheap shots from the past.

Jacob MacDonald (C): He was involved in a lot of the plays tonight, especially at the blue line. MacDonald was setting himself up for a lot of plays to get the puck and either shoot it or dump it. He played 13 minutes and had one shot on net tonight.

Erik Johnson (B): EJ was strong tonight on the blue line. He was involved early offensively and holding the line on several plays through the first and second periods. He would come back on defense to pick up loose pucks and start the momentum back to the offensive zone.

Alexandar Georgiev(A): Played one of the best games that I have seen him play so far. The first goal was not his fault at all as he had a man falling into him. Georgiev saved 22-of-24 shots on goal with a .917 save percentage. To top it all off Georgiev stopped every shot in the shootout as well. He’s now 2-1 in career shootouts.