December 22 postgame quotes: Calgary

Johnny Gaudreau, on his first NHL hat trick:
It’s really special. These guys are such a big team in the league and we were two or three weeks there without a win. It was getting a little frustrating, but great to get a win especially against a team like this that is really, really skilled and play the game really well. The guys are really happy right now.

Gaudreau, on snapping an eight-game losing streak:
That’s the most important thing right now. The guys are pretty happy about getting that losing streak out of the way and we’ll get back after it after the Christmas break.

Gaudreau, on whether there was a moment that provided the team with a spark:
Yeah, I think Bollig’s hit there in the [second period…] But we got a goal I think out of that. After that hit, all the guys were flying. In the third, everyone was flying pretty good. I think Bollig turned the game around for us right there.

Mark Giordano, on the comeback:
For a lot of the night it wasn’t, I thought, that bad of a game. We were skating well. But they’re such a big, strong, dominant team that I thought they took advantage of some PP’s and were trying to shut it down there in the third and did a good job for the most part. And then Johnny Hockey turned the show on. Yeah, a couple great goals by him and then in overtime I just saw the lane there to the net and decided to try and take it.

Giordano, on whether he can put Johnny Gaudreau’s performance into words:
No, you can’t. I thought that goal to make it 3-2, obviously with two minutes left gives us a chance. But what a play to come out and open the goalie up and put it through his five-hole and then a bit of a lucky one with the [tying goal.] Gauds made a great play coming up the middle. It seemed like he wanted the puck, wants the puck in those situations. And for all the bad things that have happened to us luck-wise recently, I think we deserved the break and we got one tonight.

Bob Hartley, on whether the team was due for a good break:
Again, we fell behind but the guys were great on the bench. They were great in the room and we felt like we had a chance. It’s funny, on the bench it was kind of the same feeling as when we were collecting wins. The boys played a great game.