I don’t really have a preference between Dallas and Colorado. But it was refreshing to see a comeback like that. Not just because it was entertaining, but because of the way Rantanen scored the goals.
To me, a big problem in the NHL lately, is that teams try to own the boards. The gameplan is designed to go wide and rarely attack the middle.
On his first goal, Rantanen came down the right wing, wide with the puck. As soon as he crossed the blueline, he brought the puck into the middle of the ice. He was able to do so because his linemates also attacked the middle, which drew in some defenders and gave Rantanen the room he needed.
On the second goal, he curled in the neutral zone and then attacked the middle. He drove the middle of the offensive blueline against three defenders. Sure, he got a lucky bounce. But, what he didn’t do was, dump it in, or go wide and curl up the wall. Too often forwards seem afraid to try and attack the middle of the ice.
One thing that has been a bit overlooked in the Rantanen trade. Is that part of the return was getting Jack Drury. Jack Drury took is the guy that took the pointless penalty that gave Dallas the go-ahead goal.
So not only was Colorado badly burned by the guy they traded away. The guy they got in return also burned them.