NASHVILLE —The hatchet is buried, if it needed to be.

It’s water under the bridge.

However you want to put it, Matt Duchene and Patrick Roy Tuesday morning said they’ve discussed Duchene’s celebration of his 30th goal Sunday in the late stages of the Avalanche’s desultory loss to St. Louis and are ready to move on.

Roy pointedly criticized the celebration as inappropriate during his postgame remarks, and Duchene after the Avalanche’s morning skate Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena said he regretted what he did and that his coach was right.

“We talked, we had a good chat yesterday, everything’s good,” Duchene said. “I totally understand where he’s coming from, what he’s trying to do. I’m on board with it, I think we all are. It was one of those things where right away, I certainly knew it wasn’t the right thing, the right reaction.

“I kind of buried my head after that, even going back to the bench. I understood it wasn’t the right thing. We had a good talk and it’s all good.”

Duchene said the celebration “was just what happened. It struck me. I didn’t even see the shot. If I could go back and change it, I would. I can’t do that. I think everybody here knows that’s not what I meant to do. It’s all good.”

Duchene emphasized there is “no issue” going forward.

“We talked, I know exactly what he was getting at, I know what the message was, and I believe in that message,” he said. “It was a mistake, and we’re moving on from it.”

After the skate, Roy said his comments Sunday were all part of his candor in reacting after games, and he framed all of this as a part of his challenge to Duchene to become more of a team leader.

“After every game, I always try to mention to our fans how I view the game, what I see, and I always speak with my heart,” Roy said. “That’s the way I am. I’m not saying I’m a total open book, but I’m pretty close to it. I think it’s important for our fans to understand where I am and what I think.

“My conversation with Matt was very simple. I want him to be a leader on this team, and I think that our core needs to be leaders. I’m happy that he understands and supported it. I think this is a great opportunity for him to become a better leader.

“Like I said to him, I was not perfect when I started at Montreal. I learned from my mistakes, and I think that’s what makes us better.”

Roy added, “I think Matt Duchene is a great person, and I think when you’re willing to learn, like I was when I was young, I think that goes a long way. That does not mean becoming a leader comes overnight. Experience makes you a better leader. I made many mistakes. I got slapped in the fingers by vets in my first years.”

Roy said that Montreal defenseman Larry Robinson was his major control figure, but Robinson wasn’t alone.

“If I was too cocky, they would slap me on the fingers,” Roy said. “It is part of it. When you want more responsibility, unfortunately, you have to respond to that. I wanted more responsibility, I wanted to be more of a leader. When that happens, there are bigger expectations. You have to conduct yourself a different way. You have to understand, you have an opportunity to be a difference-maker on your team.

“That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I would love to see ‘Dutchy’ … I mean, Dutchy could be a difference-maker for our team. When we need a big goal and on and on. The ‘hate to lose’ needs to come from our core.”

Meanwhile, Duchene’s linemate, Mikkel Boedker, said he retrieved the puck after Duchene’s milestone goal on his own.

“It’s a big thing getting 30 goals,” he said. “It’s a pretty big milestone, and I figured it would be a nice thing to do.”

Did Duchene ask him to do it?

“No,” Boedker said decisively. “It was something I did myself. I didn’t even think about doing it, just kind of did it. I think people are putting a lot of thought into what happened and all of that. It’s a goal that was scored, and I decided to pick up the puck. It was the first time he got 30 in his career, and I figured it would be special.”

The Avalanche will go into Tuesday night’s game against the Predators five points behind the Minnesota Wild in the chase for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. Colorado has three games remaining, Minnesota two, and the Wild can clinch the playoff berth with a victory at home against San Jose, regardless of what the Avs do.

Semyon Varlamov will be in the Colorado net and defenseman Nikita Zadorov will return to the lineup after missing one game after taking a hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson on Friday night at home.

Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei