20/20: Mikko Rantanen sleighs the dragon

Game 7 delivered up to the hype and then some.

Game 7, nothing better right?

The Dallas Stars closed out the most entertaining game of the first round with a 4-2 victory in Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche.

Mikko Rantanen was the hero.

Here is the 20/20.

1. Mikko Rantanen sleighed the dragon.

After all the talk and the chatter about how he was a Nathan MacKinnon merchant — the secondary piece, not the superstar — he sent his old team home with a memorable third period.

Rantanen scored thrice, twice on a pair of impressive power moves and then had the secondary assist on Wyatt Johnston’s game-winning power play goal.

Dramatic, wonderful stuff from a player that’s been dragged through the mud by two different fan bases after he was traded from Colorado earlier this season.

Four points in the third period, to save his new team. That’s a statement.

2. Before we get to some specifics, it’s important to note how remarkable this series victory is for Dallas.

The Stars not only played this series without their best player, Miro Heiskanen, but also did so without their second-best offensive threat, Jason Robertson.

This wasn’t just a series victory, this was a franchise statement about the depth.