Mikko Rantanen‘s dramatic 2024–25 NHL season saved its best chapter for the biggest stage, as the former Colorado Avalanche forward recorded a hat trick against his old team, leading the Dallas Stars to a 4–2 win in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round. Many are calling it a revenge game—but Rantanen sees it differently.
The Avalanche suffered their seventh consecutive Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, extending a painful streak that now spans 23 years since their last victory in a winner-takes-all matchup.
Meanwhile, Peter DeBoer kept his perfect record in win-or-go-home games, as he is now 9-0 when it’s do-or-die in the NHL postseason. However, as much credit as DeBoer and everybody in Dallas‘ locker room deserves, there is one name that stood head and shoulders above the rest, Mikko Rantanen.
The former Avalanche forward arrived at the Stars’ front door following a tumultuous stint with the Carolina Hurricanes, desperate for a fresh start. His transition into Pete DeBoer’s system wasn’t seamless, but after showcasing his clutch gene in the first-round battle against Colorado, no one in Dallas is questioning “The Moose” anymore.
Rantanen saved his best for the most decisive moments of the series, racking up 11 points over the final three games—including a dominant four-point performance in Game 7 at American Airlines Center. There, he shook hands with his former friends and teammates, who skated off the ice empty-handed and straight into the abyss of the NHL offseason.
“Obviously, things happened not the way I expected to happen [with Colorado], but it’s business, like I’ve said many times,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen admitted, via NHL.com. “I don’t know. Revenge? I’m just happy to win [against] another team in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter who it is. So, I’m just happy to be on the winning side and move on here.”
Mixed feelings
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are grueling—every shift takes a physical toll, tempers flare, and the action can spiral out of control in a heartbeat. But once the final horn sounds, tradition takes over. The handshake line stands as one of hockey’s most sacred rituals—a quiet, powerful gesture of mutual respect between warriors who were at war just moments before.
It was an especially emotional moment for Rantanen, as he exchanged handshakes with the former teammates he once battled alongside. On that note, the Finnish star offered a heartfelt statement.
“[It was] emotional,” Rantanen admitted during his on-ice postgame interview. “They’re my brothers. I still love everyone of them. Obviously, we were enemies in this series on the ice, but they are my dear friends off the ice, so it was emotional, and I love every single one of them.”
Waiting for opponent
The Stars have now punched their ticket to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they’ll face off against the Winnipeg Jets or the St. Louis Blues, who will meet in a Game 7 on Sunday night. One thing is clear, though: whoever comes out on top, the Stars will be ready, as they hunt for their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
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“[This series] prepares us,” Rantanen added. “Because it’s only going to get harder. Sometimes really good teams play in the first round even though maybe they shouldn’t, but I think it prepares us well. We already have a seven-game series, so if another one comes we know what to do.”