A Few Thoughts Ahead of a Do Or Die Game Six For the Avalanche

Well, it’s put up or shut up time for the Colorado Avalanche. If they lose tonight, their season is over. And what a strange season it has been.

This team has battled countless injuries throughout the year, and has not played with a fully healthy lineup. Through it all, they’ve battled hard, winning the Central Division. Now? They look a little tired. And the Kraken have done a great job limiting them in this series.

Do they have enough left in the tank to at least force a Game Seven? We’ll find out.

It’s Up To The Stars

I’ve written all series long that the Avalanche need more from their depth players, and that they need more from J.T. Compher. I could keep pounding the table that those players need to step up and help the big guns offensively.

Well, I’m not so sure it’s coming.

Until I see otherwise, it’s all up to Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. Is that fair? Maybe not, but they’re the only ones (along with Devon Toews) who seem to be involved offensively. I don’t think that depth scoring is coming. The stars need to be the ones who carry this team, like they did in the second half of the season, for this series to continue.

(But a little depth scoring wouldn’t hurt)

Georgiev May Need to Steal One

I don’t think Alexandar Georgiev has been bad in this series. I don’t think he’s been great, either. He’s been completely fine. There have been some goals he might want back, but he hasn’t lost them a game, that’s for sure. The team in front of him just hasn’t been very good.

But in game six, he might need to steal one. Makar is back from suspension, but is he even 100% after missing the last few weeks of the season? We know Josh Manson isn’t. And Jack Johnson might not be either. In front of a crazy Seattle crowd, Georgiev might need to stand on his head to keep his team in it early, because slow starts are just something we have to expect at this point in the series.

Physical And Mental Exhaustion

The Avalanche just look like a team that has been through the ringer all season long and it might have finally hit them.

“I think the adversity for this team has been relentless this year,” Bednar said on Thursday. “I can’t remember, in all the years that I’ve played and then coached, where it just keeps coming and coming and coming.”

Yeah, he’s not wrong. Many fans have told me they’re exhausted from this season. I have to imagine the players are as well. Every time you thought the team might finally be turning a corner, something new hits them.

But they’ve been a resilient team. Very resilient. They fought through a lot just to get to this point and win the division. It hasn’t gone their way in this series so far, but not a single person should be surprised if they come out and win Game Six. There’s a lot of winners in that locker room who have a lot of pride. I think they’ll empty whatever they have left in the tank.

If they don’t? Well, they’ll have a long summer to refill that tank.