Advertisement

Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen unbothered by NHL All-Star snub: 'If I get the rest, it's probably better'

kyle fredrickson, the gazette (colorado springs, colo.)
·3 min read

Jan. 10—DENVER — Mikko Rantanen does not share in the uproar over his absence from the initial NHL All-Star roster.

Quite the opposite. He could use the vacation time.

Rantanen, in the pregame Avalanche dressing room Tuesday, with the Florida Panthers in town, shrugged off the snub with reporters. The Gazette asked whether Rantanen makes it a goal each season to be an All-Star, and his reaction to potentially still being selected this year.

"I don't really ever think about that," Rantanen replied. "If I get selected, it's a big honor, obviously, to be a part of those guys. There are a lot of good players there. But I don't ever think about it like I need to go there, or I should be there.

"If I get the rest, it's probably better."

Rantanen's teammates and coaches lobbied for his cause, anyway. Even defenseman Cale Makar; selected by the NHL's hockey operations department as Colorado's representative for the league's showcase on Feb. 3-4 in Sunrise, Fla. Three more players (two skaters and one goalie) will be added to the team from an online fan vote.

"I've already voted for him. He'll be there," Makar, now a two-time All-Star, said of Rantanen. "The NHL is doing something wrong if he's not there. He should have been the first selection on our team. I have no doubt that fans will get him in."

It's difficult to argue against Rantanen's inclusion.

Statistics show that he carries the biggest share of his team's overall production. Rantanen's 26 goals this season make up 23.9 percent of the Avalanche's total — highest in the league — and ahead of All-Star selections like Edmonton's Connor McDavid (23.1%) and Vancouver's Bo Horvat (22%). Rantanen has quietly established himself as one of the top power forwards in the game under difficult circumstances.

Coach Jared Bednar, in his weekly appearance Tuesday on Altitude Sports Radio interview, said: "To me, it's obvious."

Sign Up for Pikes Peak 5

Game analysis and insights from The Gazette sports staff including columns by Woody Paige and Paul Klee.

Sign Up

View all of our newsletters.

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

View all of our newsletters.

"With all of the injuries that we've had and all the guys being out of the lineup, he's been one of the constants,' Bednar continued. "He just continues to find ways to put the puck in the net. The shot generation and chance generation that he has on a nightly basis has been outstanding. ... I can't see how he's not in there. Hopefully, he gets voted in."

------

GAMER BOX

Panthers 5, Avalanche 4

What happened: Colorado lost for the sixth time in seven outings despite a resilient late-game surge.

What went right: Forward Andrew Cogliano tipped in a Kurtis MacDermid shot attempt in the final minute of the opening period. In the third, within a span of only 20 seconds, forwards Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon each scored to bring the Avs' deficit to 4-3. Then forward J.T. Compher scored to tie the game.

What went wrong: Florida opened the game scoring three unanswered goals with help from a turnover-happy Avalanche defense. The Panthers scored again with under a minute left in the second period to go ahead 4-1. Florida later reclaimed the lead with 3:30 in regulation on a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal. Colorado failed to capitalize on three power play chances.

Between the pipes: Starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 32-of-37 saves. Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 of Colorado's 31 shots on goal.

Injury updates: Forward Dennis Malgin (upper body) is considered week-to-week for return. Forward Valeri Nichushkin did not travel recently with the team to Vancouver and Edmonton as planned. Coach Jared Bednar said: "We're just letting that ankle heal."

What's next: The Avalanche (20-16-3) travel Thursday to face the Chicago Blackhawks, 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Altitude TV) at the United Center.