December 21 postgame quotes: Colorado

Semyon Varlamov, on the game:
Tough game for us, for sure. After the first period, I think – not just the first one – I think that we played well for all three periods. We had some really good chances to score, but just didn’t score. Jones played well today, the other goalie. We get a point which is good.

Varlamov, on the assault charge against him being dropped:
I’m excited for sure. The process is over. Like I said before, I’m glad to be here today. I just want to say thank you for my teammates, for ownership, for the general manager, for the Avalanche fans for supporting me. That’s what I want to say. [Reporter: It’s over. You never seemed too worried about it.] Yeah, it’s over. I’m leaving everything behind right now. Right now I can sleep and focus on my job, on hockey and that’s it.

P.A. Parenteau, on the game:
I thought we can get out of this game with our head up. We played a strong game. It’s a really tough building to play in, they’re a really good squad and I think we played a pretty strong game overall.

Parenteau, on coming back to tie the game:
I think that’s the difference with last year. We had a timeout there. Patty talked to us, and said to stay with the plan, to start playing with more confidence and we did that. We came back in the game and it was nice to see. Last year, we probably would’ve packed it in, and that’s the big difference between last year’s team and this year’s team.

Parenteau, on the shootout:
No, [Martin Jones] didn’t bite on it. He kind of went up on me too, same with Duchy. The puck went up a couple times. It’s tough to get an extra point like that in the shootout after a battle like that. But it is what it is. It’s the rule. It’s part of the game. But there’s a lot of positives for us today to take out of this game, for sure.

Parenteau, on Martin Jones:
Really good, he looks good. He’s a big guy. He’s quick. I think he’s got a great future in the NHL for sure. He looks really good. [Reporter: What did you know about him coming in?] I knew he was on a run, but I didn’t know him before that. I had no clue who he was and he’s made a name for himself. There’s no doubt about that right now. He looks really good between the pipes.

Patrick Roy, on being happy with getting a point in the standings:
Yes we are. I thought we showed a lot of character. Down 2-0, midway in the game, we had a big break coming back to that power play hitting the post and then we scored on our power play. You see how important it is to score power play goals. We scored two power play goals tonight. I thought it was a big point for us. No doubt about it.

Roy, on Semyon Varlamov’s performance:
You know what, Varly was outstanding. At the end of the second, he made a great save with the glove and he made a really good save towards the end with the left pad. I thought that was important. A key save.

Roy, on shootouts:
I don’t mind the shootout. I honestly think it should go back to what we were before. If you can’t win the game with that five minute overtime, it should be a tie. Because in the end, these are big points teams pick up and I think it will make a big difference in the standings. But at the same time, it’s kind of entertaining for the fans. The fans seem to like it.

Roy, on Los Angeles:
I mean it’s a good team. When you come here, you have to be ready. It was a good challenge for our team. I really think we’ve played well lately. It was a good challenge for us this afternoon. But like I said, I’m very proud of our players. They showed a lot of character. Because down 2-0 in LA, it’s not easy to come back, but our power play came through for us and then our penalty killing was really good. We also had good goaltending again tonight.

Roy, on the charge against Semyon Varlamov being dropped:
My relationship with our players is based on respect and trust. I think Varly was very professional from the first day this thing came out and he had the support from his teammates. And now it’s behind us, let’s focus and let’s play hockey.

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