The Dallas Stars staged a dramatic comeback to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 of the NHL playoffs’ first round Saturday night in Dallas. After trailing 2-0 early in the third period, Dallas erupted for four unanswered goals, led by Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick against his former team
Josh Manson and Nathan MacKinnon had put the Avalanche ahead, with MacKinnon’s goal just 31 seconds into the final period giving Colorado a seemingly comfortable lead But Rantanen sparked the Stars’ rally, scoring at 7:49 and again at 1:46 to tie the game. Wyatt Johnston then delivered the go-ahead power-play goal with 3:56 left, and Rantanen sealed the victory with an empty-netter in the final seconds
Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 24 saves for Dallas, who now advance to face either the Winnipeg Jets or St. Louis Blues in the second round For Avalanche fans, the loss marks a bitter end to a series that saw both teams trading wins and high drama throughout
With the Stars moving on and the Avalanche’s season over, attention now turns to the next round-and how Dallas will capitalize on this momentum in their Stanley Cup quest.
