Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort in their 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night, but that wasn’t the only reason he was upset.
With his team trailing 4-0 in the third period, Matt Duchene got the Avs on the board. The Avalanche were pretty much out of it by then, but Duchene felt the need to celebrate after scoring his 30th goal of the season (it’s the first time he hits that mark).
After the game, Roy made it clear that he didn’t appreciate his player celebrating with the team trailing by three goals.
“The thing I have a bit of a hard time is the reaction of Dutchy after he scored,” said Roy. “It’s a 4-0 goal. Big cheer...are you kidding me? What is that?”
Roy followed that up by questioning the leadership of his core players.
“First of all, I think we have some good leadership. Maybe not enough from our core...We need more from these guys.”
Colorado isn’t officially eliminated from postseason contention yet, but the odds certainly aren’t on their side. They’re five points behind Minnesota for the final Wild Card spot in the West and they only have three games remaining.
The Avs forward spoke about hitting the 30-goal mark before getting ripped by his coach.
Duchene about 30th goal: "No one remembers that. And no one cares. I mean, everyone cares about who is in the playoffs ... " more
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) April 4, 2016
Duchene: "Obviously it’s a nice milestone but I’m not thinking about it at all right now. I’m just very disappointed about this loss tonight
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) April 4, 2016
You can watch Roy’s post-game press conference thanks to the Denver Posts’ Mike Chambers (below).
Watch: Patrick Roy rips Matt Duchene for goal celebration (his 30th) in what was 4-0 game #Avs https://t.co/mSdsw9FycZ
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) April 4, 2016
Watch: Patrick Roy: "Our core players are having a hard time to carry this team ... It's the bottom line." #Avs https://t.co/0aHJaAL8QM
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) April 4, 2016