The Dallas Stars gave up a lot to get Mikko Rantanen, & he needs to deliver now
The Dallas Stars are a game away from their season ending, and now might be a good time for their best, not to mention highest-paid, scorer to start scoring goals.
The Stars need forward Mikko Rantanen not to win the game by himself, but it wouldn’t hurt. No one else is.
On Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center, the Minnesota Wild continued to choke the Stars’ offense to win 4-2 in Game 5 of their first round playoff series. The Wild lead the series 3-2, and can end it on Thursday night in Game 6 in St. Paul, Minn.
He would never say it, and neither would his coach — at least not yet — but Rantanen may be playing injured. He sustained a “lower body” injury playing for Team Finland during the Olympics, and missed 15 games. He returned on March 28.
Just because he returned, and is playing, doesn’t mean he’s feeling like himself.
Something is off with the talented Finn, whose production in this series, outside of the power play, continues to be a problem. He is the face of an offensive 5-on-5 unit that is not generating anything other than anger, frustration and disappointment.
The Dallas Stars’ power play is fantastic
The Stars lead the NHL playoffs in power play goals with nine, including one scored in Game 5 by defenseman Miro Heiskanen that tied the game at one in the first period.
Without the power play, this series is done and done. When it comes to 5-on-5, the Stars have scored four goals in this series. Four. In 5-on-5, they are shooting just above 3 percent. Three.
They are on a streak of more than 207 minutes without an even-strength goal.
The only player who is doing in the playoffs what the did in the regular season is forward Jason Robertson, who is scoring a goal a game against Minnesota.
There is no top-line scoring. No fourth-line hero.
“Everyone needs to step up in these kinds of moments, top guys and bottom guys,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said after the game. “We need a little bit from everybody.”
That’s not all on Mikko Rantanen, but ... this is pathetic.
Where is the Stars’ Mikko Rantanen?
Mikko has one goal and five assists in this series. The goal and four of the assists are on the power play. The additional assist came with 3:21 remaining in Game 5 with the Stars trailing by two goals, and the goalie Jake Oettinger was the bench for an extra skater.
Rantanen has also been penalized five times in this series.
But, other than that ...
The Stars acquired Rantanen in March 2025 to lead them through the playoffs, and that is not happening. They gave up a lot to acquire him from the Carolina Hurricanes, including forward Logan Stankoven, and are paying him an average salary of $12 million a season.
In the playoffs last season, particularly in the first-round series against Colorado, he showed why he is one of the top forwards in the world. In the final three games of that series against the Avalanche, he scored five goals with six assists.
In the last two playoff series, the Stars have not seen that player. He has two goals in the last 13 playoff games.
Starting with the Western Conference final against Edmonton, and now this series against the Wild, Rantanen has scored one goal.
“We have to find the 5-on-5 stuff,” Rantanen said after the game. “There is no time to be frustrated. That doesn’t help at all.
“Looking at the lineup, we have a lot of good players. A lot of playoff goals are scored in front of the net; shots from the point hitting guys, and we haven’t had those yet.”
He’s talking about the dirty, playoff goals that are scored on rebounds, or traffic, directly in front of the goalie. They’re typically ugly goals, and require a high pain tolerance. But they win games. They win series. They win Stanley Cups.
Those are not the types of goals that Rantanen knocks in.
They are the types of goals scored by the likes of Wild winger Mats Zuccarello, who scored the first goal in Game 5, and has been a major problem in this series. Longtime veteran Corey Perry made a 20-plus-year career thanks in part to his ability to score ugly playoff goals.
The Stars have had those two players on their roster at different points, but no one is scoring those types of goals in this series. Veteran Jamie Benn used to score those types of goals, sometimes, but he’s 36 and that player is gone.
The Stars’ margin is point-nothing. They need someone to score.
It’s logical to think that it would be their best, and highest-paid, scorer.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 10:46 PM.
