Dallas – Mikko Rantanen believes that he would have left the room with disbelief if someone had told him at the beginning of this season that he would score a hat track in a 7th game against Colorado.
After all, that was the organization with which he made his debut in the NHL only weeks before his 19th birthday.
But twice it was negotiated in a period of six weeks earlier this year, Rantanen did exactly that And more against your original team.
Rantanen helped in the power goal of Wyatt Johnston in the power game among his first race of race postseason, all in the third period of game 7 for the stars of Dallas on Saturday night. They exceeded a two-goal deficit for a 4-2 victory over the AVS to conclude the west conference series of the first round.
“It is safe emotional because everything happened very fast,” said Rantanen. “They have spent only a couple of months since I was still with them, playing with them and chasing a playoff place and those things. And suddenly, a couple of months later, playing against them in a game 7”.
After a second period of four points in a Loss in Colorado Two nights before, Rantanen became the second player in the history of the NHL to have four points in the third period of a game 7. He is also the only one of the nine players with a hat trick of the game 7 to score all his goals in the final period.
“We also had the benefit of a motivated guy. You know, this was Colorado and the team for which he had played for a decade,” said Stars coach, Pete should. “And I don’t know everything behind the scene what happened there, but it was a motivated guy to have an impact on this series. And it simply improved.”
Rantanen, who could have become a free agent after this season, was changed for the first time to Carolina on January 24. He played only 13 games for hurricanes before them He sent it to Dallas In a deadline agreement on March 7 that included an eight -year contract extension of $ 96 million.
“I don’t know revenge,” Rantanen said. “I am happy to win as a team in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter who it is.”
In 81 career playoff games for avalanche, Rantanen had 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists). His last game with them was on January 22, but the regular season ended with him still as his third leading scorer with 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in his 49 games behind Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar.
Rantanen had five goals and seven assists in the series of seven games against the AVS.
“What did in the second period the other night … That is what it is with Mikko, is that it is not about its creation of multiple opportunities every time the album touches, but great moments,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar. “That’s what it is, he is a pure scorer. He did it in the third.”
And sent the avalanche home for the summer.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
