Avalanche turn in 'most complete' effort yet to force Game 7 in Stanley Cup playoffs - ESPN

SEATTLE — Needing answers to stave off elimination, the Colorado Avalanche found quite a few Friday in a 4-1 series-tying win in Game 6 against the Seattle Kraken.

Exactly how did the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche force a Game 7 on Sunday against the upstart Kraken at Ball Arena? They had what everyone in their dressing room collectively described as their strongest and most complete performance of the postseason to this point.

«I think it was the most complete of this series,» said Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen, who finished with a goal and an assist. «We haven't had a full 60 yet, like a full good 60. But today we did. We played three good periods even though they scored the first goal against. But we stuck to our identity.»

All the items that challenged the Avalanche through the first five games of the series became details that aided them to keep their season alive.

The Kraken scored first for the sixth straight time this series. It's just that Game 6 saw the Avalanche score four straight goals, with a few of those coming from unexpected faces.

Rantanen scored the game-tying goal with 20 seconds left in the first period. Yet it was veteran defenseman Erik Johnson who scored what proved to be the winning goal with more than 13 minutes left in the second period.

The Avalanche's longest-serving member played 63 games this season without scoring a goal, only for his first of the year to be the one that kept his team alive. Johnson's goal was also significant because it was the first goal to be scored by a player outside the Avalanche's top-six forward group or a defenseman who wasn't Devon Toews or Cale Makar.

"[Pavel Francouz] told me before the game I was going to have a hat trick, so he's mad at me after