“Moose “broke loose just in the nick of time for the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal. Former Colorado Avalanche standout Mikko Rantanen lifted Dallas to victory against his former team in a 4-2 victory on Saturday night. Stymied offensively for most of the night, the Stars desperately needed a spark as they trailed by two goals in the third period.
Rantanen, who delivered a four-point explosion (one goal, three assists) for Dallas in a losing cause in Game 6, struck again repeatedly in the final period on Saturday. This time, the Finn racked up a hat trick and an assist in the game’s final 12:11. Back-to-back Rantanen tallies (even strength and power play) forged a 2-2 deadlock.
Wyatt Johnston notched what proved to be the series-winning goal with 3:56 remaining in regulation. The Stars capitalized on a crucial 5-on-4 opportunity, sending the American Airlines Center crowd into a frenzy. From there, Jake Oettinger (25 saves on 27 shots) and the rest of the team slammed the door despite Colorado’s desperate push. Rantanen finished off his hat trick in the game’s final two-plus seconds.
For Dallas, it was the team’s first multi–goal third period comeback win on the entire 2024-25 regular season and postseason to date. With the season on the line, the monstrous rally could not have come at a more crucial time.
Four Keys Revisited
Looking back at the pregame four keys to a Stars’ win in the climactic game of the series, this is how the match played out:
- Contain MacKinnon: The Colorado superstar compiled six goals in the series’ first six games. He was kept in check for two periods on Saturday. That is, until MacKinnon struck on a delayed Dallas penalty just 31 seconds into the third period. The building fell silent. That is, until Rantanen triggered the comeback.
- Dallas top line: Top-line center Roope Hintz was quiet for most of Saturday’s game. Both teams checked tightly for the vast majority of the game. Fortunately for the Stars, Rantanen was a one-man wrecking crew in the third period. His power play wrap-around bounced in off Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard to knot the score at 2-2. Rantanen later had the secondary helper on Johnston’s power play goal and then iced the win in the closing seconds.
- Special teams: Special teams proved huge in both Game 7 and the entire series. Dallas went 7-for-23 on the power play. However, they yielded two shorthanded goalies in Game 7. Josh Manson’s second period shorthanded marker put Colorado in the driver’s seat heading into the third period. Dallas was 19-for-22 on the penalty kill in the series. In Game 7 (3-for-3), the Stars survived a four-minute kill in good shape during the opening frame.
- The old guard: Ex-Av Matt Duchene had a rather uneventful series until Game 7. Early in the third period, Duchene was denied by Mackenzie Blackwood (15 saves on 18 shots) on a golden scoring chance. Later, Duchene earned a secondary assist on Rantanen’s tying goal and a nifty primary helper on Johnston’s series-winning tally. Stars captain Jamie Benn took the aforementioned first period double minor as his stick caught former Dallas teammate Valeri Nichushkin in the face. Benn’s delayed penalty in the third period led to MacKinnon’s goal.
Dallas Starting Lineup
64 Mikael Granlund – 24 Roope Hintz – 96 Mikko Rantanen
27 Mason Marchment – 95 Matt Duchene – 91 Tyler Seguin
14 Jamie Benn – 53 Wyatt Johnston – 63 Evgenii Dadonov
10 Oskar Back – 18 Sam Steel – 15 Colin Blackwell
23 Esa Lindell – 44 Cody Ceci
55 Thomas Harley – 46 Ilya Lyubushkin
6 Lian Bichsel – 28 Alex Petrovic
29 Jake Oettinger
[1 Casey DeSmith]
Home › Forums › Stars Rally to Victory in Game 7 Thriller