Patrick Roy: 'Eventually We Have To Admit' Core Players Lack Leadership
DENVER (CBS4) - After winning six in a row, the Minnesota Wild have now lost three in a row. But while they have given the Colorado Avalanche the opportunity to get back in the playoff race, the Avs have returned the favor and had a late season collapse of their own.
Sunday's 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues was the third in a row for the Avs who once again squandered an opportunity to make up some ground on the Wild for the final wildcard playoff spot.
The Avs are technically still alive, but five points back with just three games to go they need to win out and hope the Wild keep losing. But based on their performance against the Blues, it's seems inevitable the Avs won't make the postseason.
It was a lackluster performance that has head coach Patrick Roy wondering when his core players are going to be at their best when the team needs it the most.
"Our core hasn't proved that they have the leadership to bring this team to another level. I mean eventually we have to admit it," Roy said. "I love these guys; I think (Gabriel Landeskog) is pretty much alone in that … we need more from these guys. These guys need to prove to us that they're capable of carrying this team.
"Our core players are having a hard time to carry this team; it's the bottom line … I'm sorry but I mean I could look at myself in the mirror and we could all look at ourselves in the mirror, but at the end of the day the core has to be our best players."
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After the game Landeskog said he definitely wasn't happy with the team's effort.
"You're down three goals after the first period at home … we're just giving them way too many opportunities and just giving them too much momentum and just really brain-cramps at the wrong times, and that's really been the case for the last month or so," Landeskog said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Blues 5, Avs 1
The Avs now go back on the road where they're actually one of the best teams in the NHL. They will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive Tuesday night at Nashville.
Also on Tuesday the Wild host the San Jose Sharks. But if the Avs lose in regulation they will be eliminated.
