With Mikko Rantanen having only one point heading into Game 5, Dallas Stars fans – and I’m sure Rantanen himself – were getting a little frustrated. No, it’s not because the series was tied two games apiece, as this was expected from most Stars fans. What was not expected was the lack of production from Rantanen after the Stars gave up a whole lot at the deadline to acquire him, not to mention the $96 million dollar extension soon after.
That all changed in Game 5, when Rantanen netted a goal and recorded two assists.
That’s the Rantanen we traded for.
According to Dallas Morning News Audience Sports Producer Nate Sanchez:
“Rantanen’s biggest adjustment to playing with the Stars is how differently Dallas plays than Colorado does. While the Stars do their fair share of scoring, it’s not the same high-flying Avalanche system that saw Rantanen tally 105 and 104 points in his final two full seasons with Colorado.”
Stars’ forward Matt Duchene had this to add:
I think we’ve all been trying to find the line between playing hard-nosed, gritty, mistake-free hockey and also playing our game, and Mikko is a very creative, offensive-minded player. He’s coming from a team that free-wheels.
Basically, him and [Nathan] MacKinnon had carte blanche to do whatever the heck they wanted out there and we play a little different way.”
When Sanchez asked Duchene about what the biggest difference is between the Stars’ and Avalanche’s style of play, he described Dallas’ style of play as “stingier”, described as a simpler style of hockey that breaks opponents down by moving the puck to areas where opposing teams cannot attack.
Stars’ head coach Pete BeBoer shared the same sentiments as Duchene, which you can read in the rest of Sanchez’s article here.
Stars Stuff
Update those schedules!
⏰ SCHEDULE UPDATE! ⏰
Game 6 Thursday in Denver will take place at 8:30pm CT on @victoryplustv and @TBSNetwork! #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/YYCPUkK6m0
— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 30, 2025
It’s good to start seeing some return on investment here:
Mikko Rantanen’s goal and two assists in Dallas’ Game 5 win pushed his career playoff points per game average to 1.22 – good for SIXTH-best all-time 🔥🏒#TexasHockey | #StanleyCupPlayoffs
(🎨: @BigHeadHcky) pic.twitter.com/L19sjlzR7L
— Stars Nation (@StarsNationDAL) April 30, 2025
Quest for the Cup
Logan Stankoven (it pains me typing this) and the Carolina Hurricanes are the first to advance, having defeated the New Jersey Devils yesterday.
The @Canes became the first team to advance to the 2025 Second Round on a night that saw three periods of overtime. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/w8nbCDlPru pic.twitter.com/TxtDmkKlu8
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 30, 2025
The Oilers have seemingly entered another gear after going down 0-2 in the series. That’s not something we Stars fans like to see…
The @EdmontonOilers took a 3-2 series lead after earning three consecutive comeback wins in the #StanleyCup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The last team to achieve that feat was Vegas in 2023 (4 GP).#NHLStats: https://t.co/w8nbCDlPru pic.twitter.com/pNPtXh09fz
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 30, 2025
…or this, either:
Brett Howden recorded his second game-winning goal of the series and matched the most in a single series by a @GoldenKnights skater. The others: Noah Hanifin (2024 R1), Jonathan Marchessault (2023 R2) and Max Pacioretty (2021 R2). #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/w8nbCDmnh2 pic.twitter.com/p28B1aQzz5
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 30, 2025
For tonight’s entertainment:
Will the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers advance as well? Better yet, can the St. Louis Blues push the Winnipeg Jets to the brink of elimination? I don’t know about you, but I never thought this series would go beyond five games.
Howdy From Cedar Park
The Texas Stars got off to a great start in Michigan!
The Texas Stars kicked off their Calder Cup Playoff run with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday night at Van Andel Arena, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinal series.
More ⬇
— x – Texas Stars (@TexasStars) April 30, 2025
Finally
This is really exciting to see. Hopefully we see Dallas enter this market given the rapid rise in popularity of women’s sports.
Get ready, Seattle! 🎉@PWHL__Seattle will begin play in the 2025-26 season. The team will play its home games at Climate Pledge Arena and train at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
📰 https://t.co/esLXmLCk6i pic.twitter.com/jMWDLstU4E— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) April 30, 2025
