Updated NHL Playoff Bracket 2025 Picture, Schedule After Stars Eliminate Avalanche

The Dallas Stars advanced to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to a Game 7 third-period hat trick from Mikko Rantanen.

Rantanen scored two goals and an empty-netter against his former team to lead the Stars to a 4-2 comeback win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

The Avalanche were leading 2-0 with 12 minutes left in regulation on Saturday night in Dallas.

Rantanen scored two goals, assisted on the go-ahead tally and iced the game with an empty-netter to singlehandedly orchestrate the Stars' comeback.

Back at the beginning of the night, the Stars were unable to get much offense going on a first-period power play, but the penalty kill survived Jamie Benn's double minor for high-sticking Valeri Nichushkin to keep the game scoreless through 20 minutes.

Stars forward Mikael Granlund got a chance alone at the netfront five minutes into the second period, but Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood turned him aside.

Dallas went on the man advantage again when Roope Hintz drew an interference call midway through the second period.

Avs forward Logan O'Connor broke up the Stars' zone entry and set up Josh Manson to open scoring with a shorthanded goal.

The Stars faced more trouble when Jamie Benn took a tripping penalty early in the third period.

As Blackwood left the ice, Nathan MacKinnon hopped on as the extra attacker and skated straight to the net to put the Avs up by two with his seventh goal of the playoffs.

The Stars' comeback started with just over 12 minutes left in the third, when Rantanen snapped Dallas' first goal of the game in off the goalpost.

The Avs got a power play opportunity with 11 minutes left on the clock, but Hintz cancelled it out by drawing a tripping call on a shorthanded opportunity.

On the man advantage, Rantanen wrapped himself around the net and sent the puck in off the boot of Samuel Girard to tie the game.

Jack Drury was called for holding late in the third, putting the Avs down by a man with 4:13 remaining.

The Stars immediately capitalized on the power play as Matt Duchene found Wyatt Johnston for the go-ahead goal.

Rantanen then sealed the win with his hat-trick empty netter.

Saturday night marked the third time the Stars came back to win after facing late deficits in this series, having also rallied in Games 2 and 3.

The Avalanche have now been bounced from the first round in two of the last three postseasons despite the continued dominance of Ted Lindsay Award finalists MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

The Stars are looking to make it to the Western Conference Final for the third straight season after loading up with the addition of Rantanen at the deadline. Dallas will hope to get either or both of Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson back from injury before facing the St. Louis Blues or Winnipeg Jets in the second round.

The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers will meanwhile be battling for the other spot in the conference final.

Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs wraps up with one final Game 7 on Sunday when the Blues take on the Jets in Winnipeg at 7 p.m. ET.