Mikko Rantanen is settling in as a Star, and now really on other side after goal against the Avs

DALLAS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen is now really on the other side, settling in as a Star and going back to Colorado with a chance to advance in the NHL playoffs.

In his first postseason series with Dallas, against his former team no less, Rantanen broke through with first playoff goal and two assists for the Stars in their Game 5 victory that put them on the verge of eliminating the Avalanche for the second year in a row.

“It's reality, I guess,” Rantanen said with a grin Wednesday, the day before Game 6 of the series.

After being in the playoffs with the Avs each of the past seven years and playing with them during 10 seasons, including their Stanley Cup title in 2022, Rantanen was traded twice in a six-week period — first to Carolina on Jan. 24, then to Dallas on March 7 in a deadline deal completed after he agreed to a $96 million, eight-year contract extension.

Playoffs included, the 28-year-old Rantanen has now played 25 games with the Stars.

“That's the biggest thing, I think, is settling in and playing with instinct,” Rantanen said. “The systems and everything, it’s in the back of my mind now, so I don’t have to think about anything on the ice, like where I have to go. It comes with instinct and it’s going to come even more the more games go by. ... Settling is a good word to say, which is always key to playing well.”

It was in Game 6 at Colorado last season that the Stars wrapped up a second-round series on Matt Duchene's goal 11:42 into the second overtime for a 2-1 victory. Rantanen had the lone Avalanche goal in that game.

In Game 3 of this series, his first in the playoffs as an opponent in Colorado, Rantanen had the secondary assist on Tyler Seguin's overtime winner. That was Rantanen's only postseason point for Dallas until Game 5, when his goal came on a 2-on-1 break and some nifty back-and-forth passing with Roope Hintz. He did have 12 shots on goal the first four games.

“He is settling and I think he’s a lot closer than the numbers say. I thought he’s had two or three really good games in this series so far,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “He played great that night in Colorado (Game 3). ... I think he’s stringing together more and more games here where he looks comfortable, and he’s going to make an impact even if the points aren't showing it.”

In 81 career playoff games for Colorado, Rantanen had 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists). His last game with the Avalanche was Jan. 22, but the regular season ended with him still as their third-leading scorer with 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in his 49 games there, behind Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

After six points (two goals) in his 13-game stint with Carolina, Rantanen had five goals and 13 assists over the final 20 regular-season games for Dallas, giving him an 82-game total of 88 points (32 goals). It was the seventh time in eight seasons to average more than a point a game, the lone exception in that stretch being 41 points in 42 games in 2019-20.

He is on a line in Dallas with fellow Finnish players Hintz and Mikael Granlund. Hintz, the same age as Rantanen, has played all seven of his NHL seasons with Dallas. The 33-year-old Granlund was acquired from San Jose in a trade on Feb. 1, and has only 11 more games in Dallas than Rantanen.

“They have a history together as Finnish players and national teams and things like that,” DeBoer said. “I don’t know if they played together as a line before, but I think that always speeds up the chemistry when you have a familiarity like that and you know, they’re countrymen, they speak Finnish to each other, they can communicate really easily.”

Duchene played his first eight-plus NHL seasons with Colorado, where his final full season was when Rantanen was a rookie.

“Having him in the room is good,” Duchene said. “You know he's a great player because he behaves like a great player. So, easy guy to bring in.”

This story has been corrected to show Rantanen had 101 playoff points with Colorado, not 99.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen, left, gets tied up by Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin in overtime of Game 3 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, left, and Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) collide while competing for the puck during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) chases the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen, center, pursues the puck with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, left, and center Brock Nelson in the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen brings the puck down the ice in the second period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

UTRECHT, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 9, 2026--

Adtran today announced that ProRail, the operator of the Dutch railway network, has deployed its ALM in‑service fiber monitoring solution to protect the integrity of its nationwide fiber infrastructure. The technology supports critical ICT systems used for timetabling, incident management, maintenance and new construction planning. With real‑time insight into fiber health across its 4,600km backbone network, ProRail can identify and address issues before they impact rail operations. This approach reflects a growing demand for in‑service fiber assurance across large‑scale transport and other critical infrastructure networks. The deployment was delivered in collaboration with TrueCom, a specialist in critical network and fiber optic infrastructures.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260409025433/en/

“A reliable communication network is essential for ensuring that trains run safely and on time,” said Michael Verhaar, solution architect for passive telecom infrastructure at ProRail. “By using ALM to continuously monitor our fiber optic infrastructure, we gain real-time insight into the condition of our network and can identify issues before they impact operations. This enables us to plan maintenance in a much more targeted way. The result is improved reliability, more efficient use of resources, and a rail network that operates with even greater cost-efficiency to deliver maximum value for the traveling public.”

ProRail has deployed Adtran’s 16-port ALM in-service fiber monitoring solution to monitor the physical integrity of its nationwide backbone fiber network. The solution was selected for its simplicity of use, high measurement accuracy, compact form factor and flexible deployment options, enabling precise monitoring of critical fiber – all without adding operational complexity. Through an intuitive graphical user interface, ALM provides immediate alerts that pinpoint the exact location of fiber breaks, degradation and abnormal attenuation. By delivering 24/7 network visibility alongside long‑term performance data, the solution supports more targeted repairs while reducing unnecessary truck rolls.

“ProRail operates one of Europe’s busiest railway networks, where communications infrastructure must perform consistently under constant operational pressure,” commented Stuart Broome, GM of EMEA and APAC sales at Adtran. “The insights our ALM provides enable ProRail to make more informed decisions about when and where support teams are required. Without the need for a costly and complex software suite, ALM delivers advanced in‑service monitoring and gives operators the flexibility to integrate fiber assurance into existing operational systems, supporting a smarter long‑term strategy that strengthens network resilience while helping to reduce operational costs.”

“Working closely with ProRail and Adtran, we focused on delivering a solution that integrates smoothly into existing workflows,” noted Dhieradj Ramanand, optical solutions sales manager at TrueCom. “With round-the-clock monitoring of the physical fiber layer, ProRail gains deep insight into the state of its network. This enables the transition from reactive troubleshooting to proactive, data-driven maintenance, improving both the reliability and efficiency of the infrastructure. It’s a solution that supports long-term infrastructure management while allowing ProRail’s teams to work more efficiently.”

About Adtran

ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN and FSE: QH9) is the parent company of Adtran, Inc., a leading global provider of open, disaggregated networking and communications solutions that enable voice, data, video and internet communications across any network infrastructure. From the cloud edge to the subscriber edge, Adtran empowers communications service providers around the world to manage and scale services that connect people, places and things. Adtran solutions are used by service providers, private enterprises, government organizations and millions of individual users worldwide. ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. is also the majority shareholder of Adtran Networks SE, formerly ADVA Optical Networking SE. Find more at Adtran, LinkedIn and X.

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www.adtran.com

Adtran’s fiber monitoring solution is helping ProRail gain real-time insight into its network and deliver even greater service reliability to passengers.