Mikko Rantanen hat trick: Stars winger continues torrid pace with 3-goal performance in Game 1 vs. Jets

The Dallas Stars’ deadline move to acquire Mikko Rantanen continues to pay off in ways that some of the biggest optimists may not have been able to predict.

Fresh off one of the greatest revenge performances against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the first round, Rantanen picked up right where he left off by turning in yet another three-goal effort to open the second round against the Winnipeg Jets.

This time, it was a natural hat trick for the Stars’ star.

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Thanks to Rantanen’s performance, Dallas earned a 3-2 Game 1 win in Winnipeg to take a 1-0 series lead. The closer you look at his showing, the more impressive it becomes. Here’s an inside look at the numbers behind Rantanen’s performance and how he got there.

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Mikko Rantanen stats vs. Jets

• Goals: 3
• Assists: 0
• Shots: 5
• Time on ice: 19:08

As if his second consecutive hat trick wasn’t impressive enough, Rantanen turned in a natural hat trick during the second period.

Rantanen’s first goal of the night came at the 11:17 mark of the second period, tying things up at 1-1 with a poke past Connor Hellebuyck. Less than six minutes later, he gave the Stars a 2-1 advantage with a tip-in, again stunning the crowd at Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre.

For good measure, Rantanen connected on a wrist shot with 3:26 remaining until the game’s second intermission, giving Dallas a 3-1 lead.

Rantanen joins Doug Bentley (1944) and Jari Kurri (1985) as the third player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to record back-to-back hat tricks.

With his performance, Rantanen has now scored or assisted on 12 straight goals.

The Jets were able to cut the deficit in half near the end of the second period, but could not get over the hump to tie things up in the third, resulting in a 3-2 win for Dallas and yet another signature performance for Rantanen.

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What is a natural hat trick?

In ice hockey, a natural hat trick is when a player scores three consecutive goals without others scoring any.

Rantanen’s hat trick in Wednesday’s Game 1 fits the billing as he scored three unanswered goals to flip Dallas’ one-goal deficit to a two-goal advantage. 

Mikko Rantanen playoff stats

• Games: 8
• Goals: 8
• Assists: 7
• Points: 15
• Time on ice/game: 19:35

Eight games in, Rantanen has recorded eight goals and seven assists for the Stars. That includes eight goals and 14 points in  a four-game span. 

He’ll look to continue his torrid pace in Game 2 of the second-round series when Dallas takes the ice in Winnipeg on Friday, May 9.