Is Game 6 a Must-Win for the Colorado Avalanche?

The Colorado Avalanche appeared to be closing in on a four-games-to-one series victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, but they were unable to seal the deal.

After watching a 3-0 lead in Game 5 evaporate, the Avs got a huge goal from Nathan MacKinnon to complete his hat trick and put his team back in front.

Unfortunately for the Avalanche, the Blues tied the game only two minutes later to push things to overtime, where St. Louis would end up winning to stay alive in the series.

While it will still be the Blues that are fighting to keep their season alive on Friday, Game 6 feels mighty important for Colorado as well. I would even argue that the upcoming contest will be a must-win for the Avalanche.

Have the Avalanche entered must-win territory?

With the way that Game 5 got away from the Avs, a bounce-back performance is going to be important in Game 6. That is especially true given this team’s recent playoff history.

Last season, it was the sixth game of the second round when Colorado was eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. The year before that, it was a second-round Game 7 that saw the Avs’ season end at the hands of the Dallas Stars. In 2019, the Avalanche lost in the same round against the San Jose Sharks.

This has become a theme in recent years for the high-flying Avalanche, and their shortcomings resemble the Washington Capitals’ longtime inability to advance to the Conference Finals.

I would find it hard to believe that Colorado’s second-round struggles will not be top of mind for some players as they prepare for Game 6 against the Blues.

Considering the way that this team lost Wednesday’s contest, a loss on Friday would give the Blues all of the momentum while making Game 7 even more of a mental hurdle than it would already be for the Avs.

Can the Avalanche find a way to close out this series in Game 6? It might be necessary that they do if they want to reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2002.