Stars Eliminate Avalanche in Comeback Game 7 Win

The Dallas Stars got the last laugh over their Central Division rivals, eliminating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. The Mikko Rantanen Bowl ended following Dallas' 4-2 comeback victory over Colorado. The Stars join the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers as the Western Conference teams advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They will now face the winner of the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues in their next series.

Rantanen came through in the clutch for the Stars, leading them to victory against his former team. The superstar winger has come on strong in the past few games, returning to elite postseason form. With the Stars trailing 2-0 early in the third period, the superstar winger took things into his own hands against his former team. An absolute laser of a shot beat Avalanche goalie MacKenzie Blackwood to cut their lead in half and followed that up with a power play goal minutes later to tie things at 2-2. In a piece of poetic justice, he would also score the empty-net goal to ice the series and finish Game 7 with a hat trick.

With the American Airlines Center rocking, the hometown team carried that momentum to victory. Another power-play goal from Wyatt Johnston, with less than five minutes in the third period, pushed the Stars to victory

His linemate, center Roope Hintz, had a fantastic series as well. The 28-year-old forward has stepped up as the top option for Dallas with injuries keeping Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson. He, Rantanen, and Mikael Granlund have been a formidable trio at 5-on-5, and they will be a massive issue for whoever they face next.

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was the anchor for Dallas in their series victory. Making 24 saves on 26 shots on goal, he locked in and delivered for his team once again in the postseason. As a result, the Stars are moving on.

The Avalanche drew the short straw of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Having to face the Stars in the first round is the exact reason why some criticize the current postseason format. Both the Avs and Stars entered the playoffs as top Stanley Cup contenders. It easily could have been a conference finals matchup, but now the Avs will enter an earlier-than-expected offseason.

The Stars will push forward, facing even more challenges. If the Blues get past the Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets, they would be gunning for Dallas in Round 2. If the Jets advance, it sets up a matchup between the two teams with the best regular-season records in the Western Conference. Either way, Dallas is moving on and one step closer to the 2025 Stanley Cup.