In Seattle, the Kraken had a chance to take down the reigning Stanley Cup Champs on Friday night, but the Colorado Avalanche got off the mat and handed the Kraken a 4-1 loss in Game 6.
The series now goes back to Denver for Game 7, on Sunday.
“Gutsy road win,” forward Mikko Rantanen said. “It’s just one game now, winner takes it all, and I think our group, hopefully the experience is going to help us.”
Rantanen had a first period goal for the vs, to tie the game, 1-1.
Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves in the Avalanche win.
“The intensity level we had right from the start, I think we played simple and we were skating. We were relentless,” Rantanen said. “That was the first time we did it for three periods. We were just relentless on the puck and off the puck, support everywhere on the ice.”
Vince Dunn staked the Kraken to an early 1-0 lead in the opening stanza.
“We let them come at us a little bit too much,” Dunn said. “We were not good enough as a whole slowing them down on our forecheck, just a little disconnected, and when you give them space and time, they are going to make plays.”
Rantanen scored with 20 seconds left in the first.
“It was a little bit of a chaotic period, but we were in a good spot with a one-goal lead and that’s a tough goal to give up right at the end,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We got caught on a back check and Rantanen beat our guy coming off the bench and beat him to the net.”
Erik Johnson scored at 7:21 of the middle frame to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.
“I’m at a point in my career I’m trying to do whatever I can to help the team win, if that’s put a goal in the net, if that’s blocking a shot, if that’s making a big hit, you got to adapt your game and evolve,” Johnson said. “[Scoring] was once a thing I was a little bit more known for, but not so much anymore, but help the team anyway and to chip in a goal feels good.”
The Kraken were outshot, 14-4, in the middle frame.
“I thought we played a lot on our heels tonight,” Kraken forward Jordan Eberle said. “We didn’t really play with pressure, and obviously a good team like that, they play with desperation, they are going to come at you in waves. We kept trying to find a spark and couldn’t. We played a little too timid and you have a team on the brink, they are going to play with a lot of desperation.”
Artturi Lehkonen then hit for a p[air of goals, the first late in the second period for a 3-1 lead to the Avalanche headed to the third period.
His second came with 12 seconds left on the game clock, into an empty net, for the 4-1 final.
Philipp Grubauer made 35 saves in the loss.
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