How Did Mikko Rantanen’s Hat Trick Fuel an Unthinkable Dallas Stars Game 7 Turnaround?

There’s nothing quite like the electric charge of a Game 7, especially when the stakes are sky-high and the ice is slick with raw tension. Saturday night belonged to the Dallas Stars, who pulled off a jaw-dropping turnaround against the Colorado Avalanche, fueled by none other than Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick heroics. Trailing behind after a slow first period and an Avalanche double strike early in the third, Dallas didn’t just claw back — they surged with four unanswered goals to snatch a 4-2 victory that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Rantanen’s story adds a delicious twist too: once a decade-long Avalanche veteran, now the nemesis delivering payback with every puck drop. As the Stars soar forward, their eyes are set on a fresh second-round battle, waiting for whoever emerges victorious from Sunday’s nail-biting St. Louis versus Winnipeg showdown. This one’s got “classic playoff drama” written all over it. LEARN MORE

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.