Let’s be honest. For the first block of games in this series, Mikko Rantanen just. Existed. One lone assist in four games. No heat. No buzz. Hardly what you’d call from the man who just signed for $96 million. Then came Game 5, though, and suddenly like someone flicked a switch.
Rantanen wasn’t just back for Game 7; he was on a mission. The Stars were down 2–0 in the third. Then he came through—hat trick, assist, deficit erased, series reversed. It wasn’t a comeback. It was a takeover.
And the squad that set him free? They observed each second.
Rantanen Didn’t Only Win Game 7–He Redrew the NHL Playoff Playbook
Rantanen’s Game 7 outburst wasn’t just impressive – it was historic. He is the first NHL player in history to score a third-period hat trick in a Game 7, something that had never happened before. And for added dramatic flair, he did so against the same team that released him just months prior.
All in all, that would be enough for nearly all of them. But Rantanen did more for the record books. He is the first player in league annals to have recorded a Game 7 hat trick against such an opponent. To boot, he had four-point periods in successive playoff games—an unheard-of feat. And in Game 7, he dropped another four-point beauty, capping a hat trick with a game-clinching assist as Dallas buried the Avs.
Through Games 5, 6, and 7, Rantanen gave it everything he had. Eleven points over three games. After being quiet through the first half of the series, he reversed script with a goal and two assists in Game 5, then added a goal with three assists in Game 6 before finishing with three goals and an assist in Game 7. None of them came in garbage time—all of them tipped the balance of momentum and changed results.
His first in Game 7 halved Colorado’s advantage, jolting the Stars back into the contest. The second power play goal came an instant later—a dynamite play that tied the score and shook his old club. Then came the setup: The setup from Rantanen to Wyatt Johnston gave Dallas the lead. Then he finished with an empty-netter with three ticks remaining on the clock. That was the dagger. Colorado’s dream died. Dallas advanced.
Colorado’s Stumble, Dallas’ Statement: A Game to Remember
This one had emotion written all over it. Rantanen spent a decade in Denver. He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. But when contract talks soured, they shipped him to Carolina. Dallas saw the opening and locked him in long-term.
Following the game, Rantanen did not keep the emotion secret. “They’re like brothers,” he said of his time with the Avs.“There are guys I’ve known forever—Nate, Landy. But sometimes the game puts you on the other side.”
Mikko Rantanen just rewrote the history books
He’s now the first NHL player ever to:
Record a third‑period hat trick in a Game 7
Net a Game 7 hat trick against his former team
Have four‑point periods in back‑to‑back games
Drop a four‑point Game 7 on a former team… pic.twitter.com/87Jfobc1zX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 4, 2025
Colorado captain Nathan MacKinnon looked visibly upset after the game. “We were in control. Then Mikko flips the whole thing. He changed everything.”
Dallas head coach Pete DeBoer did not hesitate to voice his admiration for his forward. “He took over the series,” DeBoer said. “That’s the guy you build around.” With players like Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen set for their return, the Stars are well placed for an extended playoff push.
The Redemption Tour Goes Overdrive
For Rantanen, this wasn’t just a breakout game but an all-out response to all the questions. All the chatter—was he made for the spotlight, worth the money—was steamrolled over three games for the ages. Eleven points. Dominance in Game 7. And an all-time-shattering performance that left no question.
They were not fortunate bounces. They were game-script plays with the season in the balance. For a Cup-level team that set him free, Rantanen demonstrated that he wasn’t merely an elite free agent acquisition—he could be a steal. Working in this system, in this arena, he’s not merely participating. He’s seizing the opportunity.
With Dallas surging ahead with momentum in overdrive, Mikko Rantanen is not only included in the push of the Stars—he is the pulse of it.
Occasionally, hockey serves up something greater than the game itself. Mikko Rantanen’s Game 7 wasn’t merely a line of numbers but a bona fide legacy moment. One set of five records was shattered, another season for a particular team came crashing down, and an all-new playoff hero emerged.
The Avs might have shut the door on him months prior. But in Game 7, he kicked the door down, burned the joint, and left no question about who claimed the night. And now, with Colorado in his rearview mirror and Round 2 in front of him, Mikko Rantanen just made himself the scariest man in the Stanley Cup pursuit.
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