In 81 career playoff games for the Avalanche, Rantanen had 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists). His last game with them was Jan. 22, but the regular season ended with him still as their third-leading scorer with 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in his 49 games behind Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

The Dallas Stars were on the ropes in Game 7 on Saturday night, trailing the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 midway through the third period. The Stara had nothing going on offense until star winger Mikko Rantanen came alive and haunted his former team.

In Game 6, Rantanen and Roope Hintz made NHL history by becoming the first teammates to score four points in a single period. But that was a footnote in Colorado’s 7-4 win that made Saturday’s Game 7 necessary. So Rantanen sent one better with a hat trick in the final 13 minutes of the game.