The Stars Aligning

Cover Image - Cole Perfetti celebrates the game 7 tying goal.

The Magic of NHL’s Game 7’s and NHL Playoff First Round Review.

By: Eitan Mirel

It is the Dallas Stars vs the Colorado Avalanche in round one of the NHL playoffs. After a tumultuous regular season for the Avalanche where they searched for a new starting goaltender and dealt away their superstar, Mikko Rantanen, near the deadline, the team finds themselves in a playoff berth. The Stars on the other hand subsequently acquired Rantanen from the Hurricanes after he did not express interest in singing in Carolina. The stars were aligning for an incredible series between the Avalanche and their former star, and the series did not disappoint. In game 3 of the series, the Avalanche captain returned to the ice in an emotional moment that was bigger than hockey itself. Landeskog had not played in a game since the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup clinching game on June 26, 2022 . After over 1000 days sidelined from injuries, Rantanen’s persistence paid off. After five games the Stars found themselves up three games to two with the opportunity to win the series in game six. The Avalanche pushed off the storm in game six and rallied to force a winner take all game seven at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The stage was set for a spectacular game, and it certainly did not disappoint. The Avs. found themselves up two goals to none early into the third period, but the game was far from over. Dallas continued to work and work, and as none other than Rantanen skated his way into the offensive zone he found himself with open ice and sniped one top shelf. Again, the Stars went to work drawing a critical penalty on the Avalanche. On the powerplay Mikko Rantanen found his stick in possession of the puck and skated around one defender, then another, around the net and as he fell to the ice the puck slid into the net. A shocking turn of events and historic collapse had just taken place for the Avs. The Stars would continue their run and pot another goal to take the lead, but it was not a done deal.

15 seconds left, a one goal game, Stars coach sends Mikko Rantanen out to take the wing on the Stars defensive zone faceoff. The Avalanche net is empty, in favor of an extra attacker to help tie the game. Colorado narrowly wins the faceoff, but not full control, as the puck squirts out MacKinnon rushes to get the puck back to Makar on the blueline. MacKinnon doesn’t get full wood on it, the puck goes back down into the zone, but it remains loose. Seguin manages to get control of the puck, up the ice moves Rantanen full speed, in game seven against his former team, the puck shoots up to him as he barrels towards the empty net, for the hat-trick, to complete the comeback, bingo!!! “Unbelievable, a legendary performance by Rantanen.”

Mikko Rantenen shakes hands with Nathan MacKinnon after a hard fought series win for the Stars