"Threekko" Rantanen leads Avs to 3-2 victory over Jets

It’s almost easy to forget him.

Despite towering over so much of the competition with his 6’4″ frame, Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen regularly finds himself in the shadow of his more famous linemates, budding superstar Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabe Landeskog.

Following another game in which the Avalanche found a way to beat the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets behind their top trio, Rantanen seems almost surprised to be the center of media attention despite his three-point night.

Landeskog quickly departed his adjacent stall to give his Finnish kid teammate sole possession of the spotlight. The normally shy Rantanen seemed to embrace the role of explaining what has been going right for a team that is now 8-3-1 in their last 12 games after Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway in overtime to dispatch the Jets.

“The team effort is going well right now,” Rantanen explained. “We’re playing smart hockey and that’s the biggest things. We aren’t the most experienced team so we have to play simple and that’s what we’re doing right now. The goalies are playing good. It was unfortunate what happened with Varly but Bernie came in and was great, too. We just have to keep going and play like this.”

Rantanen made the pass that sprung Johnson for the breakaway and the assist was his second and third point of the night. He started the night off with an assist to MacKinnon that put Colorado up 1-0 in a game they were getting outplayed.

“The line is helping a lot,” the always-humble Rantanen said. “I feel good right now, the body feels good, and so that’s helping of course. Just trying to play simple, play north-south hockey, use MacKinnon’s speed and Landy’s strength down low. It’s going well but we can’t get too happy.”

Often seen as the kid brother by his teammates, Rantanen’s game has matured on the ice to provide a stark contrast with his baby face off it. His goal off a dazzling individual effort from MacKinnon put Colorado up 2-0 and gave him his 13th goal of the season.

His strong night pushed his season total to 36, just two shy of the 38 he recorded in his 75-game rookie season. It also moved him into the top-30 on the NHL’s scoring list into a tie with Sidney Crosby and Tyler Seguin, among others.

The offensive effort also helped the team overcome the loss of goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who left the game in the second period with what the team called a lower-body injury. Given his history of groin injuries, that story will be one to follow in the coming days but Jonathan Bernier came in and despite giving up two third-period goals, sealed the win in overtime thanks to a heads-up play from No. 96.

Rantanen’s maturation and development have helped push MacKinnon’s production to a higher level and the two are inseparable on the ice. The Avalanche are better because of the complementary skills the two have shown and Landeskog’s addition to the lineup beginning after the team’s 7-0 loss in Vegas has helped elevate the trio into one of the league’s most lethal combinations.

“It gives us confidence,” Rantanen told BSN Denver. “Last couple of games, we’ve created a lot of chances and that does a lot for giving us confidence. My linemates are playing great hockey so it’s nice to play with them.”

Never one to get too high or too low, Rantanen shrugged off any suggestion he might be joining MacKinnon on his ascent to the league’s elite but the numbers don’t lie. He’s on pace for 76-point season as he heads into the first summer in which the organization could consider a long-term extension for the 21-year-old right wing.

That conversation might yet be premature but the Finnish right wing’s brilliance was on full display in leading the Avalanche over the Jets and his confidence has swelled in recent weeks as he has looked to continually attack the net, with or without help from his linemates.

That change will prove vital in Rantanen taking the next step to being a lethal threat on his own and not just be riding shotgun on MacKinnon’s shooting star act.

As the Avalanche continue to find a rhythm and seek an identity, it’s the kid brother growing up that could be the one to help take them back to the playoff race.