DALLAS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen’s NHL playoffs-record streak of consecutive goals involved in ended at 13 for the Dallas Stars, a run he had extended Sunday before they scored another goal when he was on the ice but didn’t get a point.
All Rantanen did after that was add a goal and another assist as the Stars beat the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets 5-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the second-round Western Conference series. He now has nine goals — all in the last six games — and nine assists this postseason.
“It’s the best performance I’ve got to witness, standing where I’m standing with a guy on my team for this extended period,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “But, you know, for me, he’s just getting started. He’s just warming up here. I think he’s on a mission.”
Rantanen had the primary assist on a power-play goal by Roope Hintz only 2:27 into Game 3. When Dallas scored again late in the first period for a 2-1 lead, Rantanen was on the ice for defenseman Thomas Harley’s goal. But the assists went to Mikael Granlund and Sam Steel.
“I’m trying to stay in the moment,” Rantanen said, when asked if he’s had a chance to even ponder his impressive scoring streak. “I’m happy to help the team and try to keep doing that as much as I can, both ends of the ice. I’m trying to stay in the moment and even keel after wins and good games.”
Rantanen had the primary assist on the disputed goal with 16:09 left, when his shot ricocheted off goalie Connor Hellebuyck, then off the skate of Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic’s skate back toward the net and in for a 3-2 lead.
There was more a five-minute video review before confirmation of that tally, and then 49 seconds after play resumed, a charging Rantanen scored to make it 4-2.
“It’s a huge pickup at the deadline,” Petrovic said of Rantanen, who was traded twice in a six-week span, first from Colorado to Carolina and then Dallas. “He’s been awesome for us. He’s a great guy in the room. He’s been on a tear, so it really helps.”
The record streak by Rantanan included back-to-back games when he had four-point periods in the first round against his former team, the Avalanche. He was the first player to ever do that, in the playoffs or the regular season.
Rantanen began his scoring run with an assist on a Hintz goal late in a 6-2 win in Game 5 against Colorado. Rantanen and Hintz both had points on all four goals the Stars scored in the second period of a 7-4 loss to the Avalanche in Game 6, before Rantanen had a hat trick in the third as part of another four-point period as Dallas advanced with a 4-2 win in Game 7.
He added a natural hat trick in the second period of Game 1 against the Jets to open this series with a 3-2 win, becoming only the third person in NHL history to score hat tricks in consecutive playoff games.
Dallas lost 4-0 in Game 2 against the Jets.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
