Mikko Rantanen is on a history-making tear. The Florida Panthers need a history-making comeback.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will seek a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers on Friday night, while Rantanen — on a scoring roll the likes of which hockey hasn’t seen in generations — will lead the Dallas Stars into Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Winnipeg Jets.
Florida lost a pair of one-goal games at Toronto to open their series, which resumes on the Panthers’ home ice for Game 3 on Friday.
History says the Panthers are in big trouble: Toronto has won all 11 of its previous best-of-seven series when taking a 2-0 lead at home, Florida is 0-5 all-time in series where it dropped both Games 1 and 2, and leaguewide, teams facing 0-2 deficits come back to win those series only about 14% of the time.
There are no magic words to say now, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Thursday.
“If there was, you would have said it two games ago, right? We’re not holding back any gems,” Maurice said. “That’s probably the most important thing that you realize. We went on the road and lost two one-goal games. Our game’s not perfect. Neither is theirs. So, you’re looking for an adjustment to foundation more than an adjustment to something unusual.”
Over in the West, where Dallas stuck first in Winnipeg with a 3-2 win, Rantanen is indeed doing something unusual — lots of things that are unusual, actually.
He’s the third player in NHL playoff history to have a hat trick in back-to-back games: Jari Kurri for Edmonton in 1985 and Doug Bentley for Chicago in 1944 are the others. He’s had a hand in each of Dallas’ last 12 goals, a streak unmatched by any player on any team in playoff history. He’s the first player in playoff history with at least eight goals and six assists in a four-game span. The first player with two three-goal periods in the same postseason. And on, and on, and on.
“Let’s see how long he can run this for,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “He’s rolling. He’s feeling it. Pretty impressive, what he’s doing. I mean, considering the opponent and the time of year and how he’s dominating games, really impressive.”
Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Friday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT/truTV/Max)
Series: Maple Leafs lead 2-0
If losing a pair of one-goal playoff games wasn’t bad enough — 5-4 in Game 1, 4-3 in Game 2 — the Panthers can look at two goals given up in those games and really lament how those scores factored into creating their current situation.
In Game 1, Seth Jones scored to get Florida within 2-1 — and the Panthers gave up a goal to Morgan Rielly 19 seconds later. In Game 2, Anton Lundell scored early in the third to pull Florida into a 3-3 tie — only to have Mitch Marner score what became the game-winner 17 seconds later.
The Leafs held serve at home, which is what they were supposed to do. Toronto became the first team to get to six wins in these playoffs and will be feeling very good about its game going into Game 3.
“It doesn’t change how we go about our day today,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said Thursday before Florida hopped aboard its charter flight back home. “It’s about recovering and putting the best foot forward to play our best game tomorrow night and get back in this thing.”
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT/truTV/Max)
Series: Stars lead 1-0
Playoff hockey is different. Every opponent at this time of year is obviously proven. But the Winnipeg Jets — who needed seven games and a Game 7 miracle to escape St. Louis in Round 1 — are right back into some hot water, in large part because they’re giving up a lot of goals.
The Jets have given up 26 goals in the last six games, after not giving up more than 20 in any six-game span of the regular season.
Rantanen’s hot streak is one thing, but Winnipeg’s defense wasn’t exactly airtight going back to Round 1 either. And while the Jets survived a Game 7 at home to get here, the last thing they need is to go back to Dallas in a 2-0 hole.
That starts with doing more against Rantanen.
“He’s just somebody that you always have to know when he’s on the ice,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of facing Rantanen. “Whenever you face elite players, you’ve got to know where they are. And he’s feeling it. We’ve got to know when he’s on the ice.”
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