Cale Makar is holding himself to a high bar ahead of the Colorado Avalanche's must-win Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

"Blatantly honest, I've got to be a lot better," he told reporters Wednesday, including Colorado Hockey Now. "I think there's been glimpses where I've been pretty good. For me, it's not always about the points, it's about being good on both sides of the ice, and it starts with myself and my feet.

"I think when I'm doing that, I feel like we can roll, especially on the back end. So, I think there's a lot of things that I can do a lot better. It's do-or-die now, so we've got to step it up."

The Stars have limited Makar to just two assists through the first five games of the opening-round series. The superstar has yet to find the back of the net after becoming the ninth defenseman to hit the 30-goal mark in the regular season.

His drought is not for a lack of trying though. He ranks second on the Avalanche with 19 shots and has generated 1.29 individual expected goals and 48 shot attempts at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"It happens sometimes," Makar said. "That's kind of where you've just got to take a step back and just find the things that you're doing well. It can be tough sledding sometimes. But at the same time, I'm not overly concerned with what I'm doing.

"I just want to get better every single day still and make sure that I'm doing the right things that I need to in order for this team to succeed. I've got another level that I gotta get to. That's for sure."

The Avalanche have been outscored 4-1 with Makar on the ice at five-on-five against Dallas, but they've dictated 55.1% of the expected goals and 59.6% of the shot attempts during his minutes.

Colorado head coach Jared Bednar believes people are being too hard on the rearguard.

"I think we're overly critical of his series so far," Bednar said, according to DNVR Sports. "I've looked through a lot of things. Cale's watched it all. He's had a couple games that he can be better in, for sure, but it's a tough series."

The bench boss added, "I'm not worried about him. I think he's going to bounce back with a huge game for us tomorrow."

The Avalanche have won one playoff series since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2022. The Stars thwarted them in six games in the second round last spring.

Bednar is eager to see how his players perform with their backs against the wall.

"I'm confident in our team," he said. "I am. ... The motivation is there. I think the guys are confident. They believe in this team. It's about going out and freeing yourself up to go play instinctual hockey and confident hockey."