Stars and Avs in playoff-opening series of Cup favorites that has Mikko Rantanen on a different side
Stars and Avs in playoff-opening series of Cup favorites that has Mikko Rantanen on a different side
Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell, right, celebrates his goal with Sam Steel (18) against the Detroit Red Wings in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, April 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Colorado Avalanche center Charlie Coyle (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski (70) celebrates with goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) after the Avalanche defeated the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, back, draws up a play for players during a time out in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) blocks a shot by Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) chases the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) chases the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell, right, celebrates his goal with Sam Steel (18) against the Detroit Red Wings in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, April 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Colorado Avalanche center Charlie Coyle (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski (70) celebrates with goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) after the Avalanche defeated the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, back, draws up a play for players during a time out in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) blocks a shot by Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) chases the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Mikko Rantanen was at ease Friday when talking about the excitement of starting the playoffs, which the standout forward experienced with the Colorado Avalanche each of the past seven seasons that included a Stanley Cup title.
Except this time Rantanen will be on the other side with Dallas, in a first-round Western Conference series against the Avalanche that starts Saturday night.
Advertisement
Colorado traded Rantanen on Jan. 24 to Carolina in the East, where he played only 13 games. A deadline deal March 7 sent him back to the Central Division with the Stars and included a $96 million, eight-year contract extension.
'It's Dallas against Colorado and I'm part of Dallas. So that's that's how I look at it," Rantanen said.
So can it really be that simple for the 28-year-old forward?
'Yeah, I guess we'll see,' he said. 'But, you know, it's business and like I said, the trade didn't happen two days ago. ... It's been a while now since I haven't played with the Avs anymore. What is it, three months almost, so I think it's all behind us now, and now it's just part of a new team.'
Advertisement
Rantanen was picked 10th overall by Colorado in the 2015 draft and was three weeks shy of his 19th birthday when he made his NHL debut later that year. He scored 705 points in 652 regular-season games for the Avs, plus 100 points in 82 playoff games, before they traded him in the final season of his contract.
'It's going to be different. but that's his new home, and it's going to be his new home for eight years,' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "That's the life of pro hockey sometimes in the business side of it. So he's going to be a big factor in this series. Again, it's not just one player and one line.'
Martin Necas, who came from Carolina in the first Rantanen trade, has taken full advantage of spending time on the same Colorado line as Nathan MacKinnon, the league's reigning MVP. Necas, one of the rare skaters quick enough to keep pace with the fast-flying MacKinnon, has 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in his 30 games.
Rantanen has five goals and 13 assists in 20 games with the Stars. He had 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games for Colorado this season, when he had 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) in 82 games overall for his three teams.
Advertisement
Opening struggles
The Stars have lost Game 1 in their past seven playoffs series, including all six while making it to the Western Conference Final each of the past two seasons when five of those openers were at home.
'There's a real history there of starting slowly, and we've lived that,' coach Pete DeBoer said. 'I don't think we can hang that on this group. ... New people, new year.'
Well, this group finished the regular season 0-5-2 during a stretch with the Stars already locked into their playoff spot and matchup against the Avs.
'The last 2 1/2 weeks, we've been looking forward to this, and I think that that was reflected in our play for a lot of it,' DeBoer said. 'This is what you play for.'
Advertisement
Injured Stars
The Stars will be without top goal scorer Jason Robertson because of a lower-body injury suffered in their last regular-season game Wednesday.
DeBoer on Friday described Robertson, who has 35 goals and 45 assists, as week-to-week.
Dallas is also without standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who missed the last 32 regular-season games and hasn't returned to practice since after injuring is left knee against Vegas on Jan. 28.
Captain Gabe
Longtime Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog might be on the cusp of making his return to the NHL for the first time since helping them hoist the Stanley Cup in late June 2022.
Advertisement
Landeskog has been out with a knee injury that has led to a couple of surgeries and caused him to miss the past three regular seasons. The 32-year-old Landeskog last weekend finished a two-game stint with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League as part of a conditioning assignment.
'He's close. He's close. He's getting close," Bednar said Friday. "Obviously, every day I feel like he getting a little quicker and a little bit more confident, little more sure of himself. He'll be an option for us in this series.'
Net gains
Colorado has quite a tandem in goal thanks to a pair of in-season trades.
Advertisement
First, the Avalanche picked up backup goalie Scott Wedgewood in a deal with Nashville on Nov. 30. Wedgewood, who backed up Jake Oettinger in Dallas the past two seasons, is 13-4-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage over 19 games in Colorado.
Colorado then made a bold move on Dec. 9, trading starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose for Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood since has posted a 22-12-3 mark with a 2.33 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Past games
The home team won all three meetings during the regular season, the last a 4-3 overtime win by the Avalanche on March 16, when Rantanen played against his former team for the only time.
Advertisement
Colorado's only trip to Dallas was Nov. 29, when the Stars won 5-3.
The Stars won a six-game series against Colorado in the second round of the playoffs last season.
___
AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Florida Panthers rebound from a bitter defeat to take pivotal Game 5 against Edmonton Oilers in Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers are just one win away from being crowned NHL champions for a second consecutive season after a resounding 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The pivotal win comes just 48 hours after the Panthers let a three-goal lead slip away on home ice on Thursday. The Panthers' push for back-to-back championships continues to be sparked by 37-year-old trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand, who scored a pair of goals Saturday night to bring his total to six tallies through five games in the finals. With the series knotted at 2-2 entering Game 5, a win would give the victors a distinct advantage moving forward. Teams that win the fifth game a tied Stanley Cup Final have gone on to claim the championship 73% of the time, according to the NHL. As each team looked to get off to a fast start, it was the Panthers who found the back of the net first, midway through the opening period. Marchand collected the puck off a face-off at center ice and split a pair of Oilers defenders before slotting the puck past Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard to give Florida the early 1-0 lead. With two minutes remaining in the first period, Edmonton turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Florida capitalized in the blink of an eye as Sam Bennett scored his fifth goal of the finals to stake the Panthers to a 2-0 lead heading to the first intermission. Bennett leads all players with 15 goals in the 2025 postseason. After a scoreless second period, the action picked up again in the third period as the Panthers continued to take the fight to the Oilers. Once again it was Marchand scoring a spectacular goal for Florida on a one-on-one breakaway to put the Panthers ahead 3-0 and bring his total to 10 goals this this year's playoffs. In his 16th NHL season, Marchand is putting his name next to some of the NHL's all-time greats. He has become first player since Mario Lemieux to have 5+ goals in two different Stanley Cup Final series. Marchand's scoring outburst has also moved him to 6th place on the list of most goals scored in the finals in the expansion era. Just over two minutes after Marchand's magical goal, Edmonton finally got on the scoreboard as Oilers superstar Connor McDavid scored from a tough angle to cut the Panthers' advantage to 3-1. The Panthers answered less than a minute later when Sam Reinhart shot a wrister through traffic to restore Florida's cushion at 4-1. Late in the period with the game out of reach, Edmonton's Corey Perry scored, but Florida again answered with an empty net goal from Eetu Luostarinen to maintain a three-goal winning margin. The best-of seven series now shifts 2,500 miles back to South Florida where the Panthers can become the first team to lift the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons since their in-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2021. Edmonton must find a counter to Florida's two-man wrecking crew of Marchand and Bennett if the Oilers are to have any hope of being the first Canadian team to win a championship since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Marchand and Bennett are the first teammates to each score at least five goals in a Stanley Cup Final in over 50 years. Florida will have a chance to close out the series at home on Tuesday in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NHL: Panthers defeat Oilers 5-2, move within one game of Stanley Cup
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart gave his team a 2-0 lead en route to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the NHL final Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI June 14 (UPI) -- A confident Florida Panthers team beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 Saturday night on the road, moving to one victory away from their second consecutive Stanley Cup. The Panthers can claim the cup Tuesday night in Game 6 at home at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. If Florida were to lose, Game 7 would be Friday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Advertisement The Oilers "are a tough team to play, but we realize how special a group we have," the Panthers' Brad Marchand, 37, said on a post-game interview on TNT. "It's a grind, but we're having fun each day." The 16-season NHL veteran added: "I feel like a young guy in this league. This is the loosest I've felt, and I am enjoying every moment." On Saturday, Marchand scored the first goal of the game, bringing the puck in after a center ice faceoff, inside-out on Mattias Ekholm and and beats Calvin Pickard on the glove side by skating left and shooting right. The methodical Panthers made it 2-0 with 1:54 left in the first period on a Sam Bennett goal after he grabbed a blocked Matthew Tkachuk shot and propelling it past Pickard. It was his 15th goal of the postseason. Advertisement "We're a close team," Bennett said after the game on TNT. "We see the crowd cheering against us and we enjoy that." Marchand made it 3-0 at the start of the third period with his second goal of the night after taking the puck at center ice, steering around Jake Walman and letting go a shot that beat Pickard through the legs. Less then two minutes later, the Oilers' Connor McDavid scored to make it 3-1 with 12:36 left and the silenced crowd came to life. Then, the Panthers' Sam Reinhart scored, bringing the score to 4-1. The Oilers pulled their goalie with about five minutes left, and Edmonton's Corey Perry scored his 10th goal of the post-season with 3:13 remaining, making it 4-2. Advertisement The Panthers' Eetu Luustarinen ending the scoring with an open net goal with 1:19 on the clock, giving Florida the 5-2 victory. With the win, the Panthers scored their 10th win on the road during the playoffs, tying an NHL record. Game 6 on Tuesday is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT, and will be shown on TNT and TruTV and streamed on Max. Bennett told TNT's Jackie Redmond in the post-game interview that Florida has "more experience and more composure" than last year. That's when the Panthers won the first three games of the Stanley Cup final and then lost the next three games to the Oilers, forcing a Game 7 that Florida won 2-1.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Leon Draisaitl scores another OT goal as Oilers beat Panthers in Stanley Cup Game 4 to even series
Leon Draisaitl (center) celebrates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Oilers' 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 of the NHL finals. SUNRISE, Fla. — Falling behind three goals after 20 minutes, the Edmonton Oilers scored three of their own over the next 20 to erase their deficit. They took the lead, only to give up the tying goal to the Florida Panthers in the final seconds of regulation to send another game between the hockey heavyweights to overtime. Advertisement Riding the waves of emotion through what's turning into an epic showdown in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers beat the Panthers 5-4 in Game 4 on Thursday night to tie the series on Leon Draisaitl's NHL playoff-record fourth OT goal. 'Games like that, it's exhausting — it's a roller coaster,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'Two good teams playing as hard as they are, playing the right way. Obviously with what's on the line, it's stressful. There's a lot on the line, but it is fun and I think our guys are having fun, enjoying this moment.' They're enjoying it much more tied at two games apiece than they would have down 3-1 and on the brink of losing to Florida in the final for a second consecutive year. They go home to Western Canada for Game 5 on Saturday night all even. Advertisement 'Better than it could have been, but obviously a long way to go,' said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who scored the Oilers' first goal in Game 4. 'We're just excited to get back home and play in front of our fans, and Saturday night is going to be pretty fun.' Draisaitl's goal 11:18 into OT — the fourth session of extra hockey between these teams — came after Jake Walman put Edmonton ahead with six minutes left in the third period and Sam Reinhart tied it for Florida with 19.5 seconds left. Leon Draisaitl (center) celebrates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Oilers' 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 of the NHL finals. AP 'That's what we do: We're a resilient group,' said Draisaitl, who also scored to win Game 1 in OT. 'We're never going to quit no matter what. We'll take it and go home.' Advertisement The Oilers became the first road team to rally from down three to win a game in the final since the Montreal Canadiens against the Seattle Metropolitans in 1919. Only six teams have come back from down three in the final, the last time in 2006. Leon Draisaitl (left) celebrates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Oilers' Game 4 win over the Panthers. Getty Images Edmonton fell behind 3-0 in the first period on a pair of goals by Matthew Tkachuk and another with 41.7 seconds left from Anton Lundell, which could have been a backbreaker. Knoblauch pulled Stuart Skinner after his starter allowed those three goals on 17 shots in the first, when the ice was tilted against him and his teammates did not have much of a pushback. Advertisement In went Calvin Pickard, the journeyman backup who won all six of his starts this playoffs before getting injured, and he stopped the first 18 shots he faced with some more big saves coming in overtime before Draisaitl scored. Leon Draisaitl celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in the Oilers' Game 4 overtime win over the Panthers. AP Pickard's play paved the way for the once-in-a-century comeback, with Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkolzin all scoring in the second. The Oilers held on, went ahead on Walman's goal and dealt with more adversity when Reinhart sent it to overtime — the first final since 2013 with three of the first four games needing extra hockey and the fifth all time. 'There were chances everywhere,' Tkachuk said. 'Both teams had good looks. I mean, one of their players it hits off a skate and hits the post. We got lucky there. It's a game of inches.' Advertisement SUNRISE, Fla. — Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime for the fourth time this playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night to tie the series, erasing a three-goal deficit and bouncing back after allowing the late tying goal. Jake Walman gave the Oilers their first lead with 6:24 left in the third period, before Sam Reinhart scored with 19.5 seconds left to send it to overtime. Three of the first four games of this final have needed extra time to be settled, the first time that has happened since 2013 and fifth time in NHL history. Draisaitl's goal 11:18 into OT — the fourth session of extra hockey between these teams — sent the series back to Western Canada all even. Advertisement Game 5 of what's turning into a classic back-and-forth series between two hockey heavyweights is Saturday night in Edmonton. The Oilers became the first road team to rally from down three to win a game in the final since the Montreal Canadiens against the Seattle Metropolitans in 1919. Only six teams have come back from down three in the final in NHL history, the last time in 2006. Edmonton is very much in it now, even after it looked like it would be blown out of the series. The Oilers fell behind 3-0 in the first period on a pair of goals by Matthew Tkachuk and another with 41.7 seconds left from Anton Lundell, which could have been a back-breaker. Advertisement Coach Kris Knoblauch pulled Stuart Skinner after his starter allowed those three goals on 17 shots in the first, when the ice was tilted against him and his teammates did not have much of a pushback. In went Calvin Pickard, the journeyman backup who won all six of his starts this playoffs before getting injured. Pickard made some acrobatic saves, stopping the first 18 shots he faced and paving the way for a once-in-a-century comeback. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on Edmonton's first power play, Darnell Nurse beat Sergei Bobrovsky with another shot up high and Vasily Podkolzin made it 3-all with less than five minutes left in the second. Advertisement With Draisaitl in the penalty box to start the third, Oilers were on their heels for several minutes and relied on Pickard to keep the score tied. He turned aside every shot he faced until Walman fired the puck past Bobrovsky to silence a vast majority of the crowd and incite a roar out of the Edmonton fans among those in attendance along with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Panthers fans had one more chance to cheer when Reinhart tied it late. Then Draisaitl quieted them again. With Hockey Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist also in the building, the Oilers made sure they would not go quietly and fall behind 3-1 in the final like they did last year. They forced Game 7 then but ultimately fell short, with Florida winning the Cup for the first time in franchise history. Now each of these teams is a couple of victories away from being champions.
