The Dallas Stars are moving on in the NHL playoffs, after a thrilling comeback win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen notched a hat trick as the Stars motored to a 4-2 win behind four third-period goals, giving the first Game 7 of the playoffs some extra bite.
After a 0-0 stalemate throughout the first period, Colorado struck first, with Josh Manson scoring a short-handed goal halfway through the period. Nathan McKinnon doubled the Avalanche’s lead with another goal to open the third period.
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But that’s when Rantanen woke up, scoring to keep Dallas in the running.
Rantanen struck again six minutes later, hitting a power play goal to tie things up at 2-2. Less than three minutes later, center Wyatt Johnson hit another power play goal to give Dallas the lead.
An empty net goal from Rantanen in the final seconds sealed the deal — on the hat trick, the game, and the series. Hats went flying onto the ice from the Dallas home crowd.
Rantanen’s hat trick also served a level of revenge: The 28-year-old winger played for Colorado for a decade before the team traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in January. Rantanen then landed with the Stars, where he is able to lift his team into the second round — and get a special type of vengeance in the process.
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With the win, the Stars will now face the winner of the St. Louis Blue and the Winnipeg Jets, who face off Sunday in another Game 7 — one that is hopefully just as thrilling.
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