Emotions abounded as Mikko Rantanen took to the ice at Ball Arena, but this time along his new Dallas Stars teammates. Despite a late rally to equalize the game in the third period, the Stars fell 4-3 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche, leaving a sour taste in Rantanen’s mouth after his long-awaited NHL return to Denver.
The Stars scored two goals in a 20-second lapse, tying the score at 3-3 with over 5 minutes left in the final period of regulation. However, it wasn’t enough as Cale Makar would go on to score the game-winning goal in overtime, giving Colorado its eighth win in the last ten games.
Meanwhile, Rantanen and Dallas dropped their second game in a row, although they managed to get a point for their efforts against the Avs. ‘The Moose’ was welcomed at Ball Arena by a mixed crowd, as both boos and cheers were heard around the rink while a tribute video played in the arena’s jumbotron.
However, Rantanen didn’t hold a grudge for those who opted to boo his return, instead he delivered an honest admission about his emotions after the game.
“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Rantanen stated about his return to Denver, via DNVR Avalanche on X. “It’s only time you can come back here, for the first time. Very special moment to get the video, and the reception from the fans. I saw [my former teammates] for dinner last night. It was fun to get together, but playing against them is not that fun, they are obviously good players and good team.”
Necas makes sincere statement on facing Rantanen
As often happens after big trades in the NHL, the players swapped in opposite directions are typically put head-to-head and compared to evaluate the winners and losers of the trade. Martin Necas and Mikko Rantanen have been no exception to this rule of thumb, despite having no personal history between them.
“I mean [Rantanen] ended up there, I ended up here, and you know, nothing against him,” Necas stated postgame. “It’s been great. Our locker room has been live and loud, so it’s good, so nice to get this kind of feeling before the playoffs.”
Makar opens up about taking on Rantanen with Stars
“Obviously, it’s weird,” Makar stated, per DNVR Avalanche on X. “Played against him in the 4 Nations, so you see him on the other side, but definitely not in a divisional team like this. I’m happy for him, he’s gonna be settled in a place for quite a long time, and he’s gonna have really a lot of success, in my opinion, there. He’s done so much for this team and this organization. It’s always great to see Mikko, it’s unfortunate we’ll be seeing a lot more of him now (with the Stars),”
Makar went on to clear the air, after Gabriel Landeskog’s recent comments were misunderstood as to indicate some sort of bad blood between Rantanen and the Avalanche locker room. “Nothing to be hashed out during our dinner, we all love him and he loves us, too.”
Currently, the Stars and Avalanche sit second and third in the Central Division, setting up a potential first-round clash in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That means Rantanen could be in for more meaningful meetings with his former team.