If you told even the most optimistic Kraken fan at the start of the season that Seattle would not only make the playoffs, but be in a situation where they could eliminate the prior Stanley Cup champions, in Seattle... I don't know who would have believed you. Yet here we are in exactly that situation. The Kraken play the Avalanche on home ice at Climate Pledge Arena in Game 6 with an opportunity to move onto the second round.

Game 5 was a dominant showing by Seattle once more. People from outside of Seattle are finally paying attention to this series, trying to figure out what Seattle is doing that is giving the Avalanche so much trouble. I've spoken at length about the depth in the Kraken's forward core but it goes well beyond that. Everything Seattle is doing in this post-season is fast. Fast out of their own zone, fast decisions with the puck. fast to return to backcheck, fast in transition. Colorado is an aggressive team that makes other teams pay with their quick decision making but the Kraken are still giving them everything they can handle.

From the outside it's true, Seattle does not have a dominant defensive core by any means or a goalie that was elite through the season. In order to compensate for that, Hakstol has the team playing a quick transition game which limits the time they spend in their own end. It is when the Kraken fall back on their heels or try to do too much in their own end that the Avs have been able to capitalize.

I said the goalie hasn't been elite which is true but Grubauer is certainly giving the Kraken the best goaltending that they have had in their short two seasons of existence. Grubauer has been more than good enough and at the end of the day is giving the Kraken one more save than their opponents are getting.

A huge story out of Game 4 was Tye Kartye who scored his first NHL goal in his first ever NHL with his parents in attendance. Such a cool moment for an undrafted 21 year old kid. I expect we will see him again tonight as Jared McCann was not on the ice at practice and as of now is unlikely to return for Game 6.

Seattle has been giving the Avalanche everything that they can handle. It seems apparent even in the way each team is playing. The Kraken look like they are just comfortable playing their game and doing the things that made them so successful through the season while the Avalanche look like a team with all the pressure on them.

I don't want to say I don't like Seattle's chances to win in Game 7 but I would much rather see this team come out guns blazing tonight, ready to finish this series and close things out once and for all. Give the fans who have been amazing in these playoffs thus far a chance to really celebrate their NHL team.

I'm personally sick of hearing how "playoff savvy" the Avs are and how "they know how to get things done in the post-season". Let's see the Kraken dominate out of the gates again and leave the media pundits to debate how the dominant Avalanche could lose to such an underdog in the Kraken. Eventually these guys are going to figure out that this is actually a really good team.

Thanks for reading!

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