There was that natural inclination for Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer to start paying more attention to St. Louis while watching the game that would determine who his team would play next in the NHL playoffs. But he never really started preparing for the Blues, even as they had a multigoal lead over Winnipeg much of that game.

Rantanen became the first player in NHL history to score a hat trick in the third period of a Game 7. He now has 11 points in his past three Stanley Cup Playoffs games after four points (three goals, one assist; all in third period) in Game 7 and ranks fourth among active players in career postseason points per game (1.28; 113 in 88 games).

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill made the best move of the trade deadline. If there was any doubt, it proved to be true Saturday night. Trailing 2-0 early in the third period, former Colorado Avalanche superstar Mikko Rantanen put his new team on his back,