On consecutive nights this past weekend, an epic first round concluded with a pair of memorable deciding Game 7’s that’ll be fondly remembered by both the Stars and Jets.

It was on Saturday night that the Stars and Avalanche squared off to determine who would advance to the second round. They’re still talking about the third period in hockey circles 48 hours later for plenty of reasons.

Mikko Rantanen put on a heroic performance to lead the Stars back from a two-goal deficit to stun the Avalanche with four unanswered goals to win 4-2 at a noisy American Airlines Center in Dallas. Following a Nathan MacKinnon tally 31 seconds into the third period that put the Stars behind by two, Rantanen took over the game by delivering a hat trick and assist to shock his former team.

It was earlier this year that Rantanen was dealt by the Avalanche to the Hurricanes for a package that included Martin Necas and Jack Drury. After deciding against signing long-term with the Hurricanes, Rantanen was traded to the Stars on Mar. 7 for Logan Stankoven, a pair of conditional first round picks and third round picks. After reaching a contract extension with the Stars, Rantanen suddenly played on a close division rival. Little did anyone know that he would wind up facing his former teammates who he helped win a Stanley Cup with in 2022.

With the Stars trailing the Avalanche 2-0, Rantanen started the comeback when he ripped a perfect wrist shot past Mackenzie Blackwood to cut the deficit in half with 12:11 remaining in the third period. The Avalanche still led by a goal and were on a power play, but Cale Makar took down Roope Hintz negate it.

Following a brief four-on-four, Rantanen turned on the after burners to tie the game. Taking a pass from Thomas Harley, he exploded into the Colorado zone and went by Ryan Lindgren before having his wrap-around deflect off the skate of Sam Girard to tie the score with 6:14 left. At that point, Rantanen’s two goals were already a clutch performance with his team facing playoff extinction. What happened next was even more startling.

Drury was called for holding Tyler Seguin with only 4:13 remaining. Back on the man-advantage, it took the Stars just 17 seconds to grab the lead. Rantanen started the play with a good pass down low for Matt Duchene, who then dished across for Wyatt Johnston, who scored the go-ahead goal from a tough angle to suddenly give the Stars a 3-2 lead with 2:56 left in regulation.

It was a stunning turn of events. With the Avalanche on a six-on-five, they were unable to force overtime. Instead, Esa Lindell and Seguin combined to clear the puck out of the zone ahead for Rantanen, who completed the third period hat trick into an open net with three seconds remaining as hats flew on the ice.

Rantanen’s three goals and assist over a 12:08 span flipped the script to send the Stars into the second round while eliminating the Avalanche. Even more remarkable, he recorded 11 points over the final three games for the most points ever recorded in Games 5-7 in a single playoff series in NHL history.

When asked about the handshakes with his former teammate by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, he was very complementary and respectful. He has a lot of close friendships with the Avalanche, including captain Gabriel Landeskog, who came back from missing the last three regular seasons in the first round. They had a nice exchange during the traditional handshakes.

When asked specifically about it being Rantanen who scored the big goals including the hat trick that finished off his team, Landeskog pointedly said, “I could care less who it is.” His frustration was understandable. The Avalanche rented Brock Nelson from the Islanders. He finished with no goals and four assists. They also traded for Lindgren, who had three assists and a plus-five rating in the seven-game defeat. Necas finished with a goal and four helpers in the loss.

Jets Stun Blues Late in Regulation to Win in Double Overtime

If you thought what happened in Dallas was incredible, then what the Jets did on Sunday night was even more unbelievable. The Jets stunned the Blues late in regulation by scoring twice in the last two minutes with Connor Hellebuyck pulled for an extra attacker – leading to an improbable 4-3 win in double overtime to advance to the second round.

Hellebuyck had been front and center due to being pulled in all three Jets’ defeats at St. Louis. A great goalie who doesn’t have the best track record in the postseason, he gave up 16 goals on 66 shots on the road in the back and forth first round series against the Blues. There was even some discussion from people in the media who wondered if the Jets would be better off benching Hellebuyck in favor of backup Eric Comrie for Game 7. It was a ridiculous suggestion due to how much Hellebuyck has meant to the Jets this season. He’s the biggest reason that they won the Presidents’ Trophy. Hellebuyck is up for both the Hart and Vezina, with the latter he’ll win with ease for the third time in his career.

A bad start put the Jets behind early. Jordan Kyrou tapped in a Colton Parayko feed into an open net to give the Blues a 1-0 lead just 70 seconds into Game 7 in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck had no chance on that one. However, he allowed Mathieu Joseph to beat him unscreened to put the Jets in a two-goal hole to stun the home crowd. In fact, the Blues controlled the first period by outshooting the Jets 7-3.

On the power play halfway through the contest, Cole Perfetti got one back by neatly tipping in a Kyle Connor shot pass to make it 2-1. It wouldn’t be the last time Perfetti would be heard from.

Following Perfetti’s power-play tally, it was the Blues who responded with some more aggressive play in the Winnipeg zone. They were more dangerous and had the better of the puck possession. A costly mistake late in the period nearly derailed the Jets’ comeback hopes. Nik Ehlers couldn’t handle a tough pass in the neutral zone, leading to a turnover that the Blues quickly turned into a goal that put them ahead 3-1 with under 35 seconds remaining in the second period.

Nathan Walker picked up the loose puck and found Radek Faksa open for a shot that beat Hellebuyck upstairs to restore a two-goal lead. It was a save Hellebuyck needed to make to bail his team out. He didn’t come out and challenge. Complicating matters, Ehlers took a tripping minor with 30 seconds left to put the Blues on the power play. However, they were unable to capitalize at the start of the third period. That would prove pivotal.

With the Blues opting to sit back and protect a two-goal lead, they allowed the Jets to get some momentum. For most of the third, Jordan Binnington was making the big saves to keep the Jets at bay. Despite that, a very supportive crowd continued to chant, “Go Jets Go, Go Jets Go!!!” as it came down to crunch time.

Finally having to lift Hellebuyck for an extra attacker, the Jets got the big break they needed. On a Neal Pionk pass down low for Vladislav Namestnikov, he had his shot bank off Ryan Suter’s stick and in to make it a one-goal game with 1:56 left. Urged on by the Canada Life Centre fans, the Jets found a way to tie it in the waning seconds.

Jets coach Scott Arniel wisely decided not to pull Hellebuyck for a six-on-five at center ice following the Namestnikov goal. That proved to be the right decision due to the Blues having early puck possession. Hellebuyck finally came off when the Jets had the puck. The Blues had two opportunities to end it. Robert Thomas sent a shot wide for an icing. With approximately 45 seconds left, Pavel Buchnevich iced the puck. He could’ve skated it out. By icing it instead, that proved costly.

On what can best be described as a broken play full of chaos and desperation, an Adam Lowry backhand pass came back to Ehlers with time winding down. After fanning on his attempt, he sent the puck across for Connor, who made a brilliant shot pass for Perfetti to tip in with 1.6 seconds left, sending the arena into bedlam. Here’s how it looked and sounded in Winnipeg.

Astonishingly, the Jets scored twice with Hellebuyck on the bench in the final two minutes to force sudden death.

In the first overtime, they had 11 shots to the Blues’ four. Binnington made some big saves. On the flip side, the Blues had some close calls including a Gabe Vilardi giveaway that led to a goalpost. The top line with Thomas, Kyrou, and Buchnevich was dangerous in extras. But they were unable to connect due to some diligent backchecking from the Jets. The Blues pinched their defensemen, with Parayko missing wide.

Hellebuyck settled in and made a couple of crucial stops on Blues’ chances. He looked more relaxed. Both goalies were sharp in overtime. Binnington made a diving pad save to deny a bid. He was superb finishing with 43 saves, including 18 in sudden death. Unfortunately, it was a cruel fate for the gold medal-winning netminder of 4-Nations.

On what was the best Jets’ sustained pressure of the second overtime, they had the Blues pinned in on a great shift. Connor moved the puck over for workhorse Pionk, who played a game-high 46:15 due to Josh Morrissey exiting the game back in the first period due to an upper-body injury on a big hit. At the point, Pionk fired a wrist shot that changed direction off Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, with the puck also deflecting off Lowry in front for the dramatic winner in double overtime at 96:10.

It was madness in Winnipeg as they celebrated one of the biggest wins in franchise history. For the first time in five years, they advanced to the second round. The Jets will take on the Stars in an exciting matchup.

Both teams have overcome injuries to reach this point. The Stars defeated the Avalanche without leading scorer Jason Robertson or top defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Both are expected back for the second round. The Jets battled through without top center Mark Scheifele and Morrissey. Scheifele missed the final two games of the first round. Along with Morrissey, his status is uncertain for the next round.

Panthers and Leafs Kick Off Second Round

The second round begins tonight with the Maple Leafs hosting the Panthers. It should be quite a battle between two excellent teams.

The Leafs have home ice due to winning the Atlantic Division. They’ll try to dethrone the defending champion Panthers, who looked all the way back in a five-game first round win over the Lightning. It promises to be a back and forth series.

On Tuesday night, the Capitals and Hurricanes get going in the Metropolitan Division Final. Out West, it’s the Golden Knights hosting the Oilers.

The Stars and Jets doesn’t start until Wednesday night.