Mikko Rantanen sparks Avalanche with first career goal

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The end of the Colorado Avalanche’s overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets has rightfully garnered plenty of attention as the embarrassing own-goal by Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is sure to fill blooper reels for years to come but somewhat lost in the shuffle was the first NHL goal by Avalanche rookie Mikko Rantanen.

We wrote last week about Rantanen’s roller coaster beginning to this season as his underlying numbers have been excellent but his actual production was lacking. In the week since, Rantanen collected his first NHL points, an assist last week against Minnesota and tonight’s goal that gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.

“We had good puck movement on the power play,” Rantanen said, describing the moments that led up to his goal. “(Colorado C Nathan) MacKinnon gave it to EJ (Colorado D Erik Johnson) and EJ slid it to the other side. They gave me enough room. I tried to look first, look [for a] tip for Landy (Colorado LW Gabriel Landeskog) but it wasn’t open so I just tried to rip it over the glove and this time, it went in.”

Rantanen has been stellar so far in terms of his advanced statistics and tonight was so certainly no different as he was on the ice for 13 Corsi For and just 3 Corsi Against at even strength, giving him an otherworldly 81.25 CF%. Even with that, to finally break through and get that goal was a great moment for the 20-year old Finn.

“It was (relief  and excitement),” a smiling Rantanen told the media. “I’ve had a lot of chances in games that I’ve played this season so it’s good to get the first one but the most important thing is two points for the team.”

Drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen tore apart the American Hockey League last year to the tune of 60 points in just 52 games, earning co-AHL Rookie of the Year honors alongside Boston’s Frank Vatrano. His full-time leap to the NHL was a dream come true. Surprisingly, one of the dreams Rantanen did not have was how he would score his first NHL goal.

“I actually never dreamt of what kind of goal,” Rantanen admitted. “But, of course, it’s a very nice feeling like everybody knows to get the first one in the NHL. Hopefully, we can get confidence from this and keep going and get more wins.”

The top-shelf snipe by Rantanen was so lethal Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson didn’t even react to the laser. It was an impressive shot, even if Rantanen wasn’t interested in owning it.

“It’s probably a bit more luck than skill,” Rantanen stated sheepishly. “Like I said, it’s good to get the first goal and a big two points.”

That focus on his team never wavered throughout him speaking with the media despite it being his moment to celebrate. He consistently turned his attention to his teammates, one of whom certainly appreciated the aesthetics of Rantanen’s goal.

“It was awesome, especially a nice goal like that,” the other night’s big star, Avalanche forward Rene Bourque, said. “He has a great shot, he’s been snipin’, he’s been making some great plays and getting a lot of opportunities to get the puck in the net. It’s just nice to see one go in for him and I’m sure now they will come in bunches.”

To drive home how special Rantanen’s effort was, Bourque compared it to his own first goal, which lacked the same dash of panache Rantanen’s had.

“(Rantanen’s) was a little nicer,” Bourque admitted. “Mine was a rebound. That was a wrister top shelf.”

It wasn’t just his teammates who take notice, either, as Colorado Avalanche head coach perked up when asked about Rantanen finally getting one on the board after so many high-quality chances.

“Yeah, first one,” Bednar said. “I mean, it looked like he was trying to make a decision to pass. I’m seeing it more and more that he’s a pass-first guy but he’s got a great shot. He looked around for a pass, looked for a pass, then takes a step and, you know, great shot from the short side and big goal for him. I’m hoping that opened the gates for him a little bit and gave him a little confidence.”

Bednar and the Avalanche certainly hope this is only the beginning of a prolific career for the feisty Finn who has quickly earned the respect of his teammates and the coaching staff.

In case you missed it, we thought it only appropriate to add in the video of Rantanen’s tally below.