The Kraken, the first wild card from the West, lead the best-of-7 series 3-2. They are keenly aware getting the fourth win in a series, particularly against the Avalanche, won't be easy.
"We know that the fourth game is going to be the toughest, and they're going to bring everything they have," Seattle defenseman Justin Schultz said Thursday. "I think we've done a pretty good job all year of just focusing on the task at hand, not listening to any outside noise."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Kraken series coverage]
The Kraken are coming off a 3-2 win on the road in Game 5 on Wednesday, and they were victorious without their leading goal-scorer during the regular season, forward Jared McCann, who sustained an undisclosed injury on a hit by Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar in Game 4.
Makar served a one-game suspension for the hit Wednesday; he is eligible to return in Game 6.
Until McCann returns, Seattle is rallying around him in his absence.
"We played for him [Wednesday] as well," center Alex Wennberg said. "Obviously, the way for him that that hit turned out, I mean, obviously, we were fired up to get back at it for sure. Obviously, he wants to be a part here, but right now all he can do is just cheer on [in] his way."
McCann, who had an NHL career-high 70 points (40 goals, 30 assists) in 79 regular-season games, reached out to his teammates following their victory.
"He just sent a quick text last night congratulating us," Schultz said. "Obviously, we miss him, and it's probably tough for him to be watching, but hopefully he heals quickly and we get him back quick. We miss 'Canner' a lot, but guys are doing a really good job of stepping up right now."
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said, "Jared's big part of our team. We did what we've done in the past. Somebody stepped in and filled a hole, filled a big hole."
The Avalanche, who finished first in the Central Division this season with a 51-24-7 record, say they're feeling the pressure ahead of Friday's potential elimination game.
"I've said it a million times," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Thursday, "we're putting the most pressure on ourselves out of anybody, right? 'Cause we want to win and we want to get rewarded for the hard work we put in for the season, They're a second-year team. They got in the playoffs. They got a good team. They're playing loose. They're confident. Obviously, the guys in the room, in their room, are like, 'Well, yeah, we want to win,' but expectations are on our team.
"But that's nothing new to our group, either. We've dealt with that over the last three or four years, last year especially, and they got the job done. I believe in our team to be able to deal with the expectations."
Colorado has been frustrated by Seattle so far in this series, an accomplishment Hakstol credits to playing with the same identity that brought the Kraken success all season. He expects Game 6 to be no different.
"We're fully aware of the task at hand, and it's a huge challenge," Hakstol said. "But our guys are comfortable with themselves, and we've gone out and played that way for the majority of this series.
Schultz said, "It's going to be a fun game, that's for sure. You know the crowd's going to be electric, and we're excited. Just got to make sure we don't let our emotions get the best of us, and play like we know (how) and we should be fine."
