Say What - 'Write Our Own Story'

Nazem Kadri on Mikael Backlund's absence:

"Guys gotta step up. That’s what happens with injuries, it happens all the time in sports. I think we’ve got a solid enough group for other guys to step up and contribute, including myself."

On what the team misses with Backlund out of the lineup:

"He’s a responsible player, a hard guy to play against. I think that’s the basis of it, he’s a veteran player, he’s got a lot of experience and understands how to play against top players. Obviously, that’s a big part of it, but I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can do that."

On whether he's concerned with more defensive-zone starts:

"Not one bit at all. My focus is how I can help this team. I don’t care where I am on the ice, as long as I’m out there."

On the leadership group and making up for Backlund's loss:

"That’s been a backbone for us all year. We often talk about those group of guys. It’s a good thing not all six of us are out. Obviously Backs, he’s a huge part of that - tough to replace - but we’ve got other veteran leadership in here that I think can carry the load."

Blake Coleman on playing without Backlund for the first time as a Flame:

"I guess we’ll find out. He does everything for us, he plays in all situations. Obviously, he’s the leader of the team. I’ve played alongside him for a long time now, so I’ve got to find some chemistry with some guys here quick. We’re going to miss him out there, but it’s going to be one of those things where you’ve got to fill the hole by committee, guys gotta step up in some roles that maybe they haven’t been put in throughout the year."

On remaining competitive without their captain:

"We gotta write our own story. There’s a lot of good players, and our organizational depth is really good. Klaps is going to come in, he’s shown he can score and be physical, and play a really good role for us. Huntsy’s no stranger to the league, and has been good for us in the past as well. Sometimes you get that little injection of energy - or whatever it is - it just kinda changes the dynamic in the room a little bit, you can use it in your favour. We’ve got not a lot of time to start climbing and winning some games, so it’s on the guys who are in the locker room. Next man up, and we’ll get it done."

On slowing down the Avalanche:

"They’re a high-octane offence, we know they can score and they can transition with the best of them. We gotta play our game - our home game - which is hard-checking, in your face, put pucks behind their D, make ‘em go 200 feet. Nothing real sexy, but against a team like that, you’ve just got to take away their time and space, and make them defend."

Ryan Huska on players stepping up for Backlund:

"You have to challenge the other guys that are in your lineup to raise their level. It’s not one guy - you always talk about that when a key guy goes out with an injury, and he’s not available - you don’t necessarily have one guy replace him, it’s collectively. We have some guys that are going to be tasked with a little bit more responsibility, for sure. With the amount that MacKinnon plays, I don’t think you can rely on one line, one pair to play against him. It’s going to be a collective effort to work to slow him down."

On what he loses from his lineup with the captain out:

"I use him in situations against top players all the time, so I haven’t really had to second-guess who’s going out there against MacKinnon, for a defensive-zone face-off. It’s been Mikael. Other than that, I think the work that he’s done is help bring along some other people in regards to the leadership, and what we look for out of the players. I do expect our leadership group to be the strongest players for us in his absence, and I know everybody else will follow along."

On Dryden Hunt's recall from the AHL, and being a known entity:

"That’s why Dryden’s up. Dryden is a guy that’s spent the bulk of the season (in the AHL), but our coaching staff and myself in particular, I do trust Dryden. So whether he’s in a role that sees himself on the fourth line, or if he gets bumped up through the course of the game, Dryden knows how to play. He’s been around before, he’s got a lot of NHL experience, and he’s someone I am totally comfortable with putting on the ice."

On expectations and an increased workload for Kadri:

"The more important the games are to Naz, the more excited, the more fired-up he gets. It’s very evident when you watch him, how he handles himself on days like this. I don’t have any doubt he’ll be ready to go, I know he’ll probably look at me like ‘Hey, I want to play 40 minutes tonight.’ That’s the way Naz is wired. And he’ll probably look at me if he’s not up at 40 minutes ‘What are we doing? Let’s go.’ But I think his competitiveness, and the way he approaches big games has rubbed off on a lot of the players this year. I know what we’re going to get from Naz tonight."