Rantanen Hat Trick Powers Stars to Comeback Win Over Bruins

Mikko Rantanen has a knack for clinching big games with a dramatic hat trick.

Albeit a less important circumstance than his iconic Game 7 hat trick to beat the Colorado Avalanche in round one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Rantanen capped off a high quality game between two good teams with an overtime winner Tuesday night. His three goals were all the Stars needed to beat the Boston Bruins 3-2.

It was a well-contested, evenly matched game through and through, with both goaltenders putting up a stellar performance. Obviously Jake Oettinger has been having an outstanding season, with three shutouts in six starts prior to Tuesday, but Jeremy Swayman has had nearly equal success. Prior to Tuesday's game, he was 6-1 with stats just ever so slightly worse than Oettinger's. Interesting to think that Oettinger and Swayman were both the backup goalies to Connor Hellebuyck in February's Olympics, both having an okay year, and now Hellebuyck is still looking for a team to play for and the other two are having elite starts to the season.

The Bruins struck first off the stick of young talent Matthew Poitras, who has come back from injury to center the fourth line of one of the deepest and well-balanced group of forwards in the league.

Missing Esa Lindell, the Stars got into a little bit of penalty trouble throughout the game, but rode the incredible penalty kill to momentum each time they were shorthanded.

The Stars struck back to tie it in the second period, with Rantanen cleaning up a rebound after a smart stick from Roope Hintz knocked the puck from Swayman, who was grabbing to cover it with his glove and was left helpless to Rantanen's shot.

Boston regained the lead only five minutes later when 19-year-old James Hagens deflected a shot home right in front of Oettinger. With the Bruins ahead in the third period and Swayman looking on top of his game, it seemed like a tough task for the Stars to even tie it, let alone win the game.

Enter Rantanen, who with less than half the period left, got a fade-away shot off a rebound from bodies in front of the net, and the puck just beat Swayman to the post and in for the tying goal. Both teams earned a well-deserved point and headed off to overtime.

In overtime, Pavel Zacha took a slashing penalty on Thomas Harley after Wyatt Johnston had two golden chances to win it for the Stars. Chance after chance came and went on the first half of the power play, but Rantanen stick-handled in close and roofed a puck over Swayman to finish off his hat trick in dramatic fashion and send the Stars off with the extra point.

The Stars have a game Thursday before having another two days off before the games start coming thick and fast. Puck drop against the Winnipeg Jets is 7 p.m. Thursday night at the American Airlines Center.

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