Rantanen hat trick rallies Stars past Avs in G7

DALLAS -- Mikko Rantanen scored three goals in the third period, and the Dallas Stars utilized a furious rally to advance to secone round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7.

Colorado, which won Game 6 to force the decisive contest Saturday night at American Airlines Center, led 2-0 in the third period, when Rantanen scored his first of the night at the 7:49 mark of the final frame. He scored again at the 13:46 mark, and teammate Wyatt Johnston followed up with the game winner before Rantanen sealed it with an empty netter.

"Really no words to describe the belief in the group, the whole team of ours," Rantanen told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on the Stars bench after the win. "There was no quit at any point."

Dallas won three home games in the series, including the final two, to oust the favored and star-laden Avalanche, who received goals from Josh Manson and Nathan MacKinnon in a losing effort.

"We just kept going," Rantanen said. "There was still chatter on the bench. And we knew we had to earn a couple bounces, and we did. Big win, so I'm happy for the group."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.