Mikko Rantanen has gone four games in a row without scoring, which really isn't as bad as it sounds for the Dallas Stars.
That means they are starting to get more points from other players. Dallas won three of those games, including the second-round finale over top-seeded Winnipeg in Game 6, then the opener in the Western Conference final rematch with Edmonton after a franchise playoff-record five goals in the third period. Three of those came on power plays.
"Everyone was talking about our lack of secondary scoring. The last round ... none of our guys were going to have big numbers in the Winnipeg series," said coach Pete DeBoer, noting the Jets being the league's top defensive team. "I really felt confident that they were going to get going because even in that Winnipeg series, particularly late in that series, Game 6, I started to see some real signs of creating some real chances ... signs we were going to get some production."
The Stars certainly got some chances and production late in the 6-3 victory over Edmonton in Game 1 on Wednesday night. They have the opportunity Friday night to take a 2-0 lead for the first time in 12 playoff series since 2020.
Dallas overcame a multigoal deficit in the third period and won in regulation for the second time this postseason, becoming the first NHL team ever to do that in the same postseason. The Stars' other late comeback was in the first round against Colorado, when Rantanen had a hat trick as part of a four-point third period in Game 7 against his former team.