The Dallas Stars are in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in game seven of the first round best out of seven series. In the process, the Stars beat the Avalanche four games to three.
The Stars’s star in the seventh and deciding game was right winger Mikko Rantanen of Nousiainen, Finland, who registered his first career postseason hat trick, and 11th of his career. Rantanen’s 10 prior hat tricks came in the regular season. This was also Rantanen’s first hat trick as a member of the Stars, as the previous 10 came with the Avalanche.
Inside look at the hat trick
All of Rantanen’s goals on Saturday came in the third period. With Colorado up 2-0, Rantanen put the Stars on the scoreboard from rookie centre Oskar Back of Karlstad, Sweden, and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin of Moscow, Russia at 7:49 of the final frame. Rantanen then tied the game at two on the power play from Thomas Harley of Mississauga, Ontario and Matt Duchene of Haliburton, Ontario with six minutes and 14 seconds left in the third period. After Wyatt Johnston of Toronto, Ontario scored the game-winning goal for the Stars with three minutes and 56 seconds left in the third period on the power-play, Rantanen registered his hat trick to close out the scoring. He scored into an empty net with three seconds left from Tyler Seguin of Brampton, Ontario and defenseman Esa Lindell of Vantaa, Finland.
What first round series is left?
The Dallas Stars will play the winner of the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. On Sunday night in Winnipeg, the Jets and Blues will play a seventh and deciding game at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blues forced a seventh and deciding game with a 5-2 win on Friday. It was once again a dreadful postseason performance by Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who gave up five goals on 23 shots in only two periods.
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