J.S. Giguere and Patrick Roy exchange barbs

It was all going swimmingly in Colorado when the club was rolling along, racking up wins and relying neatly on an even-strength save percentage north of .960. But that was October, and this is January and the Avalanche have only won managed six regulation wins in their past 17 games.

Following a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night, Colorado Avalanche backup netminder J.S. Giguere called out his teammates for failing to match the Flames' effort level. In particular, Giguere said his teammates needed to be "hungrier at the net, both nets."

It's a criticism that Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy - a one-time netminder himself - took exception to. "He should stand up and say, 'I'm not playing up to what I should,' and he did not," Roy said of Giguere. "He needs to be better, and we need him playing better. Period."

Roy continued, "I think Jiggy should have played better tonight. We're not going to look at our team. We might not have had the jump we should have, but Jiggy needs to be better. He hasn't played well in the last four or five games."

Relayed Roy's comments, Giguere relaxed his stance a bit and admitted that, "At the end of the day, I have not been playing my best."