Watch, listen, live stream and view the latest stats on Game 4 of the Second Round against Winnipeg
Second Round: Game 4
When: Tuesday, May 13 at 7:00 PM CT
Where: American Airlines Center
TV: ESPN
Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
Live Stats: NHL Game Center
Tickets: Single Game / Suites
Local Parking: AAC Parking Options
Arena Bag Policy: Frequently Asked Questions
Party on PNC Plaza: 5:00 PM South Entrance
Pregame Band: Joshua Mather
Doors Open: 5:30 PM CT
0-0 Series | 2-1 Overall | 1-0 Home | 1-1 Away
Stars forward Sam Steel has five points (0-5—5) through 10 games this postseason, including registering a multi-point performance (0-2—2) in Game 3 vs. Winnipeg, his second multi-point performance of the postseason. His five points rank fifth among Stars skaters this postseason while also matching his career high point total through 19 playoff games with Dallas during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Steel also has three points (0-3—3) in three postseason games against the Jets, averaging a point per game against them (1.00).
Jets forward Nino Niederreiter enters Tuesday’s contest riding a three-game point streak, earning three points (2-1—3) in those games. Through 10 postseason games with Winnipeg, Niederreiter has tallied six points (4-2—6), ranking fourth among Jets skaters. Niederreiter scored his 20th career playoff goal in Game 3 in Dallas, becoming the third player on the Jets roster to score 20 career playoff goals alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor according to NHL Stats. In his career against Dallas in the playoffs, Niederreiter has earned nine points (3-6—9) in nine games.
Mikko Rantanen is in rare air right now.
The Stars forward has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in his past six games. The only other player to do something similar is Wayne Gretzky. Rantanen also had a run where he had a hand in 13 straight playoff goals, something accomplished previously by Jaromír Jágr and Mario Lemieux. Not bad company for the 28-year-old.
“It’s the best performance I’ve got to witness, standing where I’m standing with a guy on my team for this extended period,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “But, you know, for me, he’s just getting started. He’s just warming up here. I think he’s on a mission.”
Rantanen has a strong history. After more than a decade with the Colorado Avalanche, he ranks seventh all-time in playoff points per game at 1.30. He has played in 91 postseason games and helped the Avalanche win the 2022 Stanley Cup, so he has been here before. However, this year is different. Rantanen was traded twice and is just 30 total games into his Dallas Stars experience. After getting moved from Colorado to Carolina and then from Carolina to Dallas, all because he could have become an unrestricted free agent, Rantanen appears to have found a home with the Stars. He signed an eight-year contract extension for $12 million a year, making him the highest paid player on the team. He is settling in nicely.
“When you think about his journey this year, he’s been through a lot,” DeBoer said. “There’s been a lot written about him, there’s been a lot said about him, there’s been a lot of doubters out there on the situations he’s been in. I think there’s a lot of motivations there.”
Rantanen has talked about the process and how this has been a challenging season. He said he has fit in well, in part, because the Stars have a strong contingent of Finnish player. But, he added, he’s just having fun and trying to play a simple game.
“I’m trying to stay in the moment,” he said when asked about being compared to some of the biggest names in hockey history. “I’m happy to help the team and try to keep doing that as much as I can, both ends of the ice. I’m trying to stay in the moment and even keel after wins and good games.”
That said, he definitely is impressing his teammates.
“It’s great to be on the same side, for sure,” said linemate Mikael Granlund, who has had to face Rantanen a lot in his NHL career. “We all can see what he’s doing out there right now. He’s such a great player, and he’s playing at a really high level right now. It’s great to be on the same side, and hopefully he keeps going.”
DeBoer said the Rantanen factor has made him change his coaching style. In the past few games, DeBoer has slipped Rantanen into several different situations, including on the fourth line, where he has been very successful.
“It definitely changes things when you have a guy like that, a star player, it changes a little bit of the identity of your team,” DeBoer said. “I think we’ve been built around four lines and kind of waves of pressure. I think when you add a player like that, you have to coach your team a little bit differently. You have to get him out there more. I think that’s the challenge, to integrate him and build around that without losing what has made us successful here. It took a while, and I think there were some bumps trying to find that line, but I think we understand that now.”
It also makes it tougher to coach against the Stars. Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel was asked what the difference is between the Stars team that the Jets beat during the regular season and the one it is facing now.
“Some guy named Rantanen over there,” Arniel said.
“You know what, I know Pete’s system, we’ve been in the Central Division, and we butt heads a lot,” the Jets coach added. “Two teams that match up quite similarly. I think the adjustments do happen game to game. We made some adjustments after one, they made some adjustments after two, and we’re going to have to make some adjustments after that night. That’s just part of the game within the game. I think that’s one thing we see in playoffs. In all the series going on right now, you can’t just stay status quo. It’s a case of us making sure we’re ready.”
4.00
Dallas has averaged 4.00 goals per game on home ice in the playoffs. The Stars are scoring 1.80 goals per game on the road.
4:55
Stars defenseman Esa Lindell leads the NHL in shorthanded time on ice in the playoffs at 4:55 per game. He also led the league during the regular season at 3:35 per game.
52.4 percent
Stars defenseman Petrovic leads Dallas in playoff SAT (shot attempt differential) at 52.4 percent. That ranks 116th among postseason skaters.
“He’s been great. He’s rock solid there, and like you said, when we need a save, it feels like he’s making those and keeping us in the game. He’s been great, and it’s great to play out there when you have all the confidence for your goalie.”
-Stars forward Granlund on Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.
