There is no “I” in team.
There’s no “x” in it either, for the record.
However, the Dallas Stars are going to need someone to stand up to be an X-Factor in this opening series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche.
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It’s clear to this writer that Mikko Rantanen is that guy.
The Stars picked up the former Avalanche forward after it became known that he wanted out of the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Rantanen was first traded out of Colorado due to differing opinions during the contract negotiation process.
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It’s the second most wonderful time of the year, after the trade deadline.
Nevertheless, the 28-year-old Finn forward needs to find his groove against his old team. Rantanen was able to find his groove during the regular season, and finished off 20 games with the Stars collecting 18 points. He recorded 10 of those 18 points in the final 10-game stretch.
However, in two postseason games with the Stars, he has goose eggs across the board on the scoresheet, while collecting 22 minutes of average ice time.
Rantanen is a proven playoff performer. In his career, he has 101 points in 83 playoff games. In the three previous postseasons with the Avalanche, he collected 49 points in 38 games.
It’s clear from both his regular season performance and production history in the playoffs that Rantanen can give the Stars more than he’s offering at the moment.
That’s why Rantanen is the Stars’ X-Factor for the playoffs. The Stars are tied in the series 1-1, but if they want to move past the Avalanche, Rantanen is going to have to step up his contributions.
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