Mikko Rantanen Keeps The Dallas Stars Alive
If it was not clear already, in Game 7 of the first-round playoff series between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, it became even clearer that Mikko Rantanen is a superstar in the NHL.
Rantanen had one of those performances that legends are made of. He channelled his inner Michael Jordan, recording another four-point game and period, including a hat trick, to eliminate his former club, the Colorado Avalanche, from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
?Night Cap Recap ?
What a Performance by Mikko Rantanen
Stars Off to Round 2 #texashockey #goavsgo #stanleycup pic.twitter.com/NVvNv0JU9S
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) May 4, 2025
From the minute his new club, the Dallas Stars, went down 2-0 in Game 7, Ranatanen made it his mission to put the club on his back and get them to the next round of the playoffs. There is a reason why Stars General Manager Jim Nill traded for Mikko Rantanen. In moments like Game 7, Rantanen was going to deliver for him.
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While the first four games of the series were quiet, as he only had one assist, Rantanen exploded with 11 points (five goals and six assists) in the final three games. He now leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in points with 12 (five goals and seven assists). It was the first time a player had recorded a hat trick in a single period of a Game 7. Rantanen is also the second player in NHL history with a four-point period in Game 7. The other was Kevin Labanc of the San Jose Sharks in Period 3 of 2019.
Rantanen’s legend grew even more, tying an NHL record twice by recording two four-point periods. In Game 6, Rantanen and Roope Hintz each had four points in the Stars 7-4 loss in Game 6. Rantanen backed it up on Game 7 with another four-point period; this time it was the third period with the game on the line.
“Obviously, things happened not the way I expected to happen , but it’s business, like I’ve said many times,” Mikko Rantanen told the media after Game 7. “I don’t know. Revenge? I’m just happy to win another team in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter who it is. So, I’m just happy to be on the winning side and move on here.”
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That is the stuff that legends are made of, especially in a Game 7. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer, now 9-0 in Game 7s, pushed all the right buttons in the series. With the Stars missing their best defenseman in Miro Heiskanen and one of their best forwards in Jason Robertson, DeBoer put the Finnish Line of Mikael Granlund, Hintz, and Rantanen together.
“Let’s be honest, he took over the series the last three, four games. He just decided that we were not going to go home and we were not going to lose. I think it started then,” Pete DeBoer told the media after Game 7. “But I mean, what you witnessed there was special. This was Colorado and the team he had played for for a decade, and I don’t know all the behind the scenes, what went on there. But he was a motivated guy to make an impact in this series, and he just got better and better.”
The combination got the Stars going in Game 5, and that momentum rolled through Game 6 and into Game 7. As DeBoer noted, Rantanen took over shift after shift after shift in the series’ final three games. That is why the Stars made the trade and got moved from a young player like Logan Stankoven back at the deadline.
In the playoffs, Mikko Rantanen is one of the best. He has 113 points (39 goals and 74 assists) in 88 playoff games between the Stars and Avalanche. Rantanen averages 1.28 points per game in the playoffs, which is sixth all-time amongst players who played at least 74 games. That is ahead of Mark Messier, who averaged 1.25 points per game.
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Twice Traded, Patience Rewarded!
It was a shock when the initial trade happened, and the Avalanche sent Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite contract negotiations not progressing and a stalemate, you always thought Rantanen would finish his career with the Avalanche. However, Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland felt he could get the same production from Martin Necas on a cheaper deal, so he moved him to Carolina.
However, Carolina should have known that Rantanen would not fit in their style of play. Not to mention, he did not want to go there or sign there long-term. It was a bad trade for the Hurricanes then and still is now. But Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky got assets for the player. Jim Nill got Rantanen locked up to an eight-year, $96 million deal that pays the player $12 million on AAV.
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It may have taken some time for Mikko Rantanen to feel comfortable in his surroundings, but the Dallas Stars have not had a game changer in the playoffs like this since Brett Hull and Mike Modano. It was a bold move by a general manager in Dallas who knew his team needed a threat come playoff time. Once Rantanen became available, he pounced.
While it is only Round 1 and there is a long way to go, the Dallas Stars are in a good position, having Mikko Rantanen in the lineup. If they need a big performance in the playoffs, Moose will be there. Colorado thinks the same thing about that Game 7 performance on Saturday night.
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