DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar scored 34 secondsinto overtime and the Colorado Avalanche recovered after squanderinga late two-goal lead to beat the Dallas Stars 4–3 on Sunday during the return of former Avalanche starMikko Rantanen. Throughout the game, Rantanen, whowas once adored by many Colorado fans, saw his old team struggles to maintain their lead.
The Avalanche initially appeared secure,gaining the upper hand with a 3–1 lead late inthe third period. But the exotic twists of the game unfolded as the Dallas Stars rallied,claiming two goals within just 20 seconds from Mavrik Bourque and Matt Duchene to level the score. The turn ofevents left Avalanche fans gasping as the Starscame storming back, tying the game at 3–3.
It was Makar’s master locking of the game when he slid pastdefensemen and unleashed his shot past Jake Oettinger for the game-winner just momentsinto overtime. Makar finished the match withthree points,diagonal and chaotic, leading Colorado to their ninthstraight home win.
Joining Makar on the scoreboard forColoradowere Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin, and Martin Necas, all contributing to this riveting contest. Scott Wedgewoodalso made 19 saves through the match.
Much to the fans' delight, Rantanen'sreturn was enormous news, having spent almost ten years with the Avalanchebefore being traded. On January 24, he was involvedin a three-team deal sending him to Carolina, with Necas making his way to Colorado and later dealing Rantanen to Dallas on March 7.Bound to evoke mixed feelings among the Colorado loyalists, the manwho once scored goals for them had now changed sides.
Jason Robertson scored firstfor the Stars, finding the back of the net with assistance fromRantanen before the fray escalated. Oettinger countered with 32 saves, showcasinghis skills throughout the game.
Shifting focus to other NHL action, the Detroit Red Wings blanked the Las Vegas Golden Knights 3–0. Petr Mrazek, very much under the spotlight, made 18 saves, celebrating hisfirst shutout of the season after making his thirdstart since being acquired from Chicago during the trade deadline.
The game opener came from rookie defenseman AlbertJohansson, notching his second goal at 7:58of the second period, which lit up the Red Wings, who recently faced struggle with only one win over their last eight games. Lucas Raymond and MarcoKasper sealed the deal with two additional goals inthe third period to carve out the final score.
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, grappled throughout the matchup, unable to garner momentum to halt their losses, marking four defeats overtheir last five games.
Migratory discussions turned to the Edmonton Oilers as they claimed victory against the New YorkRangers, winning 3–1. Viktor Arvidsson fired the decisive tiebreaking goalearly, with Corey Perry and Connor McDavid both scoring as well, complementingthe win perfectly.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins garneredthree assists contributing significantly to the game’s dynamics, and Stuart Skinner wrapped upthe match with 21 saves. Cuylle was the lone scorer forNew York, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 20 shots before the final buzzer cutthroughDollarmark.
The lively St. Louis Blues wreaked havoc on theAnaheim Ducks, roller-coastering toa 7–2 scoreline—a dominance initiated by Brayden Schennand Pavel Buchnevich within the first 90 seconds ofthe match. St. Louis played to strengthwith notable goals from Dylan Holloway andJake Neighbours, with valuable assists fromJordan Kyrou and Justin Faulk.
On course for the wild card spot, theBlues secured their eighth win out of11 games, drawinglevel with the Vancouver Canucks for the secondwild card in the Western Conference, adding intensity to the playoff chase.
Meanwhile, on the less celebratory side, the Ducks sufferedtheir fifth loss overa short span, proving sorely missed on their game-catch-up route.
On the East Coast, the New York Islanders worked their way toward avictory over the Florida Panthers, clinching afinal tight score of 4–2 with Marc Gatcomb igniting the matchintothe third period. Hisgoal instigated awave of scoring from Maxim Tsyplakov and Noah Dobson, with Simon Holmstrom addingan empty-net goal for culminating confirmation. Anders Lee landedhis499th career point withan assist, moving ever closer to the memorable 500 milestone.
Ilya Sorokin made 22 stops for the Islanders,while on the other side, Vitek Vanecek had 30 savesfor the Panthers, whose efforts fell short this timeout.
Logan Cooley turned decisive onceagain as Utah contended with the VancouverCanucks, pullingthrough for aportentous 3–1 win at Rogers Arena. Cooley'sgoal capped off Utah's scoring, completing what had initially startedwith Quinn Hughes opening for Vancouver. Kevin Stenlund andClayton Keller also contributed to this strong showing. Karel Vejmelka topped his game with 18 saves, adding toUtah's narrative of success.
Lastly, the Winnipeg Jets rounded uptheir victoriousday as Dylan Samberg scoredjust 1:47into overtime to lead Winnipeg'scomeback fromtwo goals down against the Seattle Kraken, sealing off their game at 3–2. With important contributionsfrom Cole Perfetti and KyleConnor, the Jets cementedtheir reputation for resilience as Eric Comrie had 14 saves.
Overall, March 16, 2025, proved torichesome exhilarating highlights across the NHL, with teams vying this late inthe season for playoff spots and engaging fans with electrifying hockey.
