Literally every statistic one looks at this postseason would seem to indicate that Mikko Rantanen is having a great playoff run.
With the big winger on the ice, the Avalanche dominate the puck, controlling 62.47% of shot attempts. That’s the best thing about the team. Scoring chances are even more lopsided when Rantanen is out, as Colorado owns nearly 64% of them when he’s out. That’s also the best thing about the team. He’s tied for third in the NHL with nine even-strength points, and his 13 points in 10 games are nothing to sneeze at.
And yet, here we are, 10 games into the postseason, and no one can shake the feeling that something is “not right” with him.
His shot rate is low in all situations, whether it’s 5-on-5 or on the power play. Discs seem to come off their stick much more frequently. And the big man, who is one of the strongest guys on the team, is taking a physical beating from just about everyone, including 5’8″ Logan Stankoven.
The points are there, but Rantanen doesn’t seem to be himself. There have been brief glimpses. After breaking his stick in half late in the second period in Winnipeg, he responded with a two-goal third to send the Jets home for the summer. I thought all things considered, he looked pretty good in game five a few days ago. On Casey Mittelstadt’s goal, he anticipates a shot, runs over Joe Pavelski and then boxes him in front of the net. On Makar’s power play goal, he brings his big frame to the net to help create a screen. Those aren’t great things that appear on the record, but they help.
Ultimately, the Avalanche are relying on Mikko Rantanen to contribute heavily on the scoreboard, and he has, but there is one thing they could really use: a dominant performance. The king of showing that reminds you why he’s making a lot of money and why the Avalanche will likely give him a massive extension this summer.
We haven’t gotten that done this postseason, and we really didn’t get that done much during the regular season either. Last year, Rantanen was probably the team’s MVP. This season, he took a backseat to Nathan MacKinnon, like everyone else on the team.
On Wednesday night, Jared Bednar finally pulled the trigger and broke up the MacKinnon/Rantanen duo. For some, it was already necessary and it really seemed like Bednar had no choice but to separate them heading into game five.
“At some point you might have to change it to create a spark,” he said after the game.
I can’t imagine they’re going to make any changes heading into Game 6. During game five, the Avalanche got a great performance from Cale Makar, who was on a different level since the puck drop. We know Nathan MacKinnon is capable of doing it, but the Stars will plan to shut down MacKinnon with a chance to close out the series. That should leave Rantanen some easier matchups to, in theory, do some damage.
With the season on the line, tonight has to be the night.
It’s time for Mikko Rantanen to take charge of the game.
Keynote USA
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