The Dallas Stars shocked many on Wednesday night when they pulled off a 3-2 win on the road in Game 1. What was probably the bigger shock was Mikko Rantanen's follow-up performance after the Dallas forward scored a hat trick in the previous game 7 against Colorado to send his former team home. The Stars will now turn their sights on the implications of another potential win on Friday, and look to bring home a two-game advantage.
Thomas Harley's Offensive Growth Shines in Stars' Playoff Stretch
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/">Dallas Stars </a>playoff run has so far gone as planned, as they moved past the first round, and have gotten off to a fast start in the second round matchup with Winnipeg. While a majority of the offensive production can be attributed to Mikko Rantanen, it has been Thomas Harley who has been the spark to light the scoring fire.
The Dallas Stars had a mentality of not letting a very hostile environment on Wednesday off. In front of a raucous crowd in Winnipeg scored three goals in the second period to come away with a 3-2 win in Game 1. The Dallas Stars offense was led by Mikko Rantanen who came off a stellar three-goal performance in the Stars first round finale. Rantanen would replicate that stat line by scoring a hat trick in the second period.
Mikko Rantanen Breaks Dallas Stars Playoff Record
“The moose is on the loose.”
Where the Dallas offense left off, goaltender Jake Oettinger picked up, as he shut the door on all 10 of the shots the Jets threw his way. Oettinger will look to his defense to cloud the lanes for Winnipeg, like they did in the previous outing, as the Stars blocked 14 shots while dishing out 25 hits. The Stars will also aim to bring the same level of energy they did to start Game 1 as they outshot the Jets 9-0 in the opening minutes.
Dallas and Winnipeg will collide for a 8:30pm CDT puck drop, and can be viewed on TNT, TrueTV, and MAX.