Mikko Rantanen shined with a goal and two assists, including one on the decisive goal that originated from the skate of defenseman Alexander Petrovic. This goal, after an extensive review, gave the Dallas Stars the victory over the Winnipeg Jets with a score of 5-2 on Sunday, solidifying a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference series.
Petrovic’s goal was reviewed for over five minutes due to the NHL situation room, which sought to determine if the puck was kicked into the net. The final decision upheld the referee’s call, which considered that the puck was deflected into his own net by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
At that moment, you want them to take all the time they need to get it right.
Pete DeBoer, Stars coach
Jets coach Scott Arniel voiced his disagreement with the referee’s decision.
The rule states that if the puck is kicked and hits the body or stick of anyone other than the goalie, it counts as a goal. It hit our goalie’s stick and went into the net. That’s not a goal.
Scott Arniel, Jets coach
Just 49 seconds after the game resumed, Rantanen scored his ninth goal of the postseason, all in the last six games.
For Petrovic, who has played in all 10 playoff games after just five in the regular season for the Stars, it was his first playoff goal since 2016 for Florida.
Roope Hintz also contributed a goal and an assist for the Stars, while Wyatt Johnston added a late goal. Sam Steel and Mikael Granlund each had two assists.
Rantanen, with 18 points this postseason, assisted on Hintz’s goal on the power play, putting the score at 1-0. In addition, he was on the ice when Dallas scored their second goal for 2-1, although the assists went to Granlund and Steel.
This performance ended Rantanen’s record streak of consecutive goals in the NHL playoffs, which extended to 13, from the fifth game of the first round against Colorado.
Obviously, I’m happy to help the team, I’ll try to keep doing it as much as I can at both ends of the ice.
Mikko Rantanen
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 23 shots. Hellebuyck, a favorite to win his third Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie and also a finalist for the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s regular season MVP, was 0-4 with a 6.65 goals-against average in road games this postseason, after allowing five goals on 26 shots.
Nino Niederreiter tied the game for Winnipeg midway through the second period with a shot from the bottom of the right circle, after a play by Josh Morrissey that allowed him to get past Stars center Colin Blackwell and assist on the goal.
The Stars had taken a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period, after Niederreiter knocked down Granlund, who skated with the puck along the boards behind the net and used his knees to pass it to Harley in the area.
Kyle Connor scored for Winnipeg with a goal that went under Oettinger’s outstretched glove.
I don’t think the game got away from us. We were right there in the game. A decisive goal that may or may not be a goal and we’re right there in the game.
Kyle Connor
The fourth game will be played on Tuesday night in Dallas.
