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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Luka Who?

Mikko Rantanen has been making it easy for Dallas fans to move past the pain of losing Luka Dončić.

Posted on by George Delanjian
Credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

Back in February, nobody ever thought the city of Dallas could recover from losing a bona fide superstar like Luka Dončić. Little did they know one month later another star would arrive.

Now it did take a bit to reap the fruits of that trade as Mikko Rantanen became acclimated, but what we’ve seen this postseason is every single reason why Jim Nill made that trade in March. Rantanen has unquestionably put the Stars on his back the past couple of games, leading the team to two huge wins: one that allowed them to advance to the second round, and another that allowed the Stars to take home ice away from the Winnipeg Jets.

Per Dallas Morning News reporter Lia Assimakopoulos:

“Rantanen became just the third player in NHL history to record hat tricks in back-to-back playoff games and the first in 40 years. He became the first player in Stanley Cup Playoff history with multiple three-goal periods in the same postseason and the fourth to do so at any point in their career, joining Wayne Gretzky, Maurice Richard and Tim Kerr.”

While Rantanen’s play has allowed him to gain the adoration of the city of Dallas, it has also allowed him to gain some attention for the Conn Smythe Trophy which is awarded to the MVP of the postseason. Per Assimakopoulos:

“He has now scored or assisted on the Stars’ last 12 goals, dating back to Game 5 of the last round. That is an NHL playoff record, passing the previous streak of nine goals.

He leads the NHL in postseason points with 15 (eight goals and seven assists).”

Mind-blowing.

Despite the flak Rantanen has received this season for a multitude of different reasons, it’s fair to say he has thrown water on any criticism directed at him. You can read more about it in Lia’s article here.

Stars Stuff

I still can’t believe what we are witnessing….

Rantanen playing on historic levels:

Yeeeeehaw!

Who wants to Blackout this Saturday?!

Quest for the Cup

Stars have the night off, but the Capitals and Hurricanes take the ice again tonight, followed by the Oilers and Golden Knights. Can the Capitals even the series and the Oilers win another on the road?

Finally

Be sure to check this out!

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