In Game 5, Colorado got the production it needed throughout the lineup, from the "big boys," as Avalanche coach Jared Bednar calls the top line of Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, who combined for three points (one goal, two assists), to goaltender Andrew Hammond, who made 44 saves for his first NHL win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Defenseman Samuel Girard (upper-body injury) returned after missing three games and had one shot and two blocks in 22:21 of ice time.
"If you're going to win, at some point you have to enjoy your wins, struggle through your losses and then turn the page. That's what our guys are learning," Bednar said. "It starts with our leadership. Landy's doing a nice job there, Mac, [forward Blake Comeau], even [Hammond] coming in. That's one of the biggest games he's had in his career, I'm sure. He stands on his head but he's already moving past it and looking forward to tomorrow. That approach is a winning approach and that's what we're going to have to do."
When Nick Bonino scored at 10:18 of the third period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead, the Avalanche didn't feel the need to talk about it.
"At that point, it's still one shot, one goal," Landeskog said. "That's kind of the mindset."
Deal with it and move on.
Landeskog tied it 1-1 at 15:49 off a pass from MacKinnon before Sven Andrighetto scored the game-winning goal on a rebound off a 2-on-1 with 1:28 remaining.
"The whole way we're playing, we've got nothing to lose," defenseman Mark Barberio said. "We snuck into the playoffs and no one's giving us a chance in this series, so we get to come out and play our hearts out. All season, there's been no quit in this group."
The Avalanche will face elimination again on Sunday, something they've handled well thus far, from the win against the St. Louis Blues in the final regular season game to get into the playoffs, to winning Friday on the road to extend this series.
"For us, we have nothing to lose. There's no more pressure on ourselves than we put on ourselves," Landeskog said. "For us, it's a matter of leaving it all out there. We keep playing. That's what we'll keep doing."
