"Trying to be too nice": Mikko Rantanen discloses hilarious reason behind whiffing his shot before sealing his second hat-trick of season

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Nov 14, 2024 12:15 GMT

Mikko Rantanen had a big night for the Colorado Avalanche, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. His goals helped the team secure the victory, with a go-ahead goal in the third period and an empty-net goal to seal it.

After the game, Rantanen joined the "NHL on TNT" broadcast. Hosts Liam McHugh and Paul Bissonnette asked him about a funny moment from the game when Rantanen had a chance to score earlier in the third period but missed the puck.

"Yeah, he told me, ‘did I forget I had two goals on the night’." Rantanen said, "I was looking to pass Lehki (Artturi Lehkonen), you know, try to get him to two goals as well. Maybe I was trying to be too nice. It almost, could’ve cost us, but at the end of the day, we got the win. So it was good."

Mikko Rantanen credited his teammates for their role in the play. He mentioned that Artturi Lehkonen helped him by letting him take the lead and also praised Nathan MacKinnon for setting him up with a great pass.

"Actually, it was Lehki (Artturi Lehkonen) guy, and Lehki let me go." Rantanen said, "You know, I owe him one now, you know. Next time my guy is changing, I got to let him go on the O-zone. So, so I think assist for Lehki, but great play by Nate on the wall. You know, to see me coming off the wall, and, you know."

When Bissonnette asked if Rantanen meant to go five-hole on his second goal, Rantanen responded:

"I actually… the puck was rolling, so I tried to just whiff it to the net and go five ball. I don't know it looked like a bad shot, but this time it went in. So, it was great."

Despite the whiff earlier, Mikko Rantanen finished strong with his second hat-trick of the season. The Avalanche will next play the Washington Capitals on Friday.

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Mikko Rantanen helped the Colorado Avalanche win

Adrian Kempe scored 32 seconds into the game, giving the Kings an early 1-0 lead. Artturi Lehkonen tied it 1-1 at 3:40 of the first, scoring off a rebound from Rantanen’s shot. Kempe struck again at 15:51 with a one-timer, putting the Kings ahead 2-1.

In the second period, Mikko Rantanen tied it 2-2 with a breakaway goal from a pass by Cale Makar. Rantanen’s next goal in the third period beat David Rittich through the five-hole, giving Colorado a 3-2 lead. Rantanen then scored an empty-net goal at 18:01, helping the Avalanche claim their third straight win.