Stars’ Mikko Rantanen becomes third player with back-to-back playoff hat tricks

Mikko Rantanen has put himself in elusive company with his recent performances, as the Dallas Stars winger has become the third player in NHL history with hat tricks in consecutive playoff games.

Mikko Rantanen became the first player in nearly 40 years with a hat trick in consecutive playoff games and third in NHL history, following Jari Kurri (Game 5-6 of 1985 CF) and Doug Bentley (Game 4-5 of 1944 SF).

— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) May 8, 2025

Rantanen completed the feat on Wednesday night during Game 1 of the second round against the Winnipeg Jets. Not only was it a hat trick, it was a natural hat trick, as after the Jets went up 1-0 in the second period, Rantanen scored three straight to give the Stars a 3-1 lead.

Rantanen began this stretch with his performance in Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche, Rantanen’s former team. With the Avalanche up 2-0 with over 12 minutes left in the game, Rantanen started off a four-goal rally for the Stars to win the game, getting points on all four and scoring three of them.

Rantanen joins Jari Kurri, who achieved the feat with the Edmonton Oilers in Games 5 and 6 of the 1985 Clarence Campbell Conference Final; and Doug Bentley, who did so with the Chicago Blackhawks in Games 4 and 5 of the 1944 semifinals; as the only three players in NHL history to do so. However, Rantanen is the only player to get both hat tricks in the same period, and do so across two separate series’.

Rantanen’s recent performance has put him in the early running for the Conn Smythe Trophy for the Stars, as he has 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points through 7 games and two periods of Game 1.

This comes after a somewhat of a struggle in the regular season for Rantanen, as while his 32 goals and 56 assists for 88 points in 82 games doesn’t seem the worst, it is his worst output in a full season since 2018-19.

Rantanen’s season started out well with 64 points in 49 games with the Avalanche, but really struggled after he was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he had just 6 points in 13 games. Once he was traded again to the Stars, he picked up his play a little bit with 18 points in 20 games.