Avs Player Grades From Loss To Lightning

A road trip finished with three of possible 12 points

Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire

Haven’t done one of these for a while, so let’s get it started. Avs lose to Lightning 6-3 in a game where they made just too many sloppy defensive errors.

Jack Johnson (A-) - The only guy on the Avs to have a Plus rating in this game? JJ (+1). I think he’s having a great year. I can make the argument that he has been the Avs’ best defensive defenseman all year. Watch his game closely. Watch how good he is in his own zone, how he’s almost always in good position and makes simple, effective, fundamental plays. His +6 is sixth on the team.

Bo Byram (A) - Two goals for Bo. Two goals on two shots. He finished off a great pass from Mikko Rantanen for a goal that gave Avs a 1-0 lead. He later tied the game 2-2. He’s starting to play better. Stronger skating, coming out of defensive zone with some steam now.

Devon Toews (D) - A minus-3 on the night. He’s having a good year, but hasn’t been as good as any previous year with Colorado, at least not defensively. Was caught running around a bit too much in his own zone in this one.