On Mikko Rantanen, pick plays, Esa Lindell, and cowboy boot trophies

A collection of thoughts that maybe, somehow, all connect.

As much as I would have loved to do a 20/20 tonight from Game 3 of Stars-Avalanche, it wasn’t really feasible.

That’s just the reality after I covered three games today at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Allen and Frisco, and after doing post-game interviews I wasn’t sitting down to watch Stars-Avalanche until there were about five minutes remaining in the second period.

A 20/20 deserves close attention, from opening face-off to the final buzzer. And while I was able to watch the third period and overtime closely, it wouldn’t feel right putting a 20/20 label on this.

So instead, this is just a collection of random thoughts and observations from the game that Dallas won 2-1 in overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

On Mikko Rantanen’s revenge

Tyler Seguin got the goal, Mason Marchment had the primary assist, but it was a neutral zone play by Mikko Rantanen that teed up the game-winner in overtime.

And it had to feel pretty good for a player that was booed frequently and is playing a game where he’s been turned into a villain because of trades, that he maintains, were completely out of his control.

Rantanen also hadn’t been great this series, he wasn’t living up to the price tag, and needed a moment like one on Wednesday where he won a neutral zone battle.

I think that’s important to note, because the Stars don’t need Rantanen to score goals to be a superstar. Goals, certainly, are nice, but Rantanen can drive so much more for Dallas on a shift-to-shift basis if he’s controlling the neutral zone — like he did for close to a decade in Colorado playing with Nathan MacKinnon.

It was also fitting that it led to a goal with scents of revenge all around.

Marchment setting it up after having to watch the start of overtime from the box, Seguin burying a goal after he had to miss so much of the season after hip surgery.

Fun, poetic stuff.