The Colorado Avalanche suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators after battling back from a 2-0 first-period deficit.
Shane Pinto and Tim Stützle gave Ottawa an early two-goal lead, putting Colorado in a difficult position.
In the second period, Artturi Lehkonen got the Avalanche on the board to cut the deficit to one.
Then, in the third, Parker Kelly tied the game before Gabriel Landeskog gave Colorado a brief lead. However, Drake Batherson scored to even things up again, and Pinto ultimately sealed the Senators’ victory with an overtime goal.
After the game, several Avalanche players spoke to the media about the loss. Among them was Landeskog himself.
Below is the full transcript of Landeskog’s postgame interview.
Gabriel Landeskog Says the Comeback ‘Doesn’t Come as a Surprise’ to the Avalanche Room
Question: Can you describe what happened?
Answer: We kind of ended up in a hole at the start, then fought and dug our way out. Obviously, when you have a lead with four minutes to go, you’d like to close it out, but you got to overtime. Big point.
Q: Given everything that happened in that game, it was a tough situation, but again, you guys found a way to come back from being down 2-0, grind it out, claw your way back, and show some character.
A: Yeah, I think that doesn’t come as a surprise to us in this room, right? I don’t know if we’ve shown enough of that this year, but that’s the kind of blueprint we need to establish as a team. If we get down early, that’s fine. We dig our way out of it, right? It doesn’t matter who’s in and who’s out. Having said that, you’d like to be able to close it out when you’re up with four minutes to go.
Q: How tough was it not having Cale (Makar) and Nathan (MacKinnon) to lean on?
A: Yeah, obviously, they’re two of the best players in the world, so having them out is tough. But I don’t think it’s any different. You just play with whoever you’ve got. Whoever’s ready to go, whoever’s healthy and available, they play. So hopefully those guys will be just fine.
Q: What’s said or what’s going on when you’re trying to figure out who’s going out there? Do you just wait to hear which names are called?
A: You have to stay focused on the task. You have to listen because the lines are changing.
Gabriel Landeskog Makes Honest Assessment After Avalanche’s OT Loss