A frightening moment occurred for the Dallas Stars` key acquisition at the trade deadline, but Mikko Rantanen persevered.
The winger was injured early in the second period when a shot from his teammate, Ilya Lyubushkin, struck him in the face. He was visibly in pain on the ice before heading to the locker room.
This was concerning for the Stars, who are already without key players like top-six center Tyler Seguin and defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
Fortunately for the Stars, their worry was short-lived.
Rantanen quickly returned to the game wearing a full face shield and was able to complete the match.
This was a fortunate turn of events for Rantanen, who has experienced a turbulent season since being traded from the Colorado Avalanche on January 24th.
His time with the Carolina Hurricanes was underwhelming, with only six points in 13 games. After it became clear that Rantanen and the Hurricanes wouldn`t agree on a contract, Carolina traded the two-time 40-goal scorer to the Stars. Dallas then signed him to a significant eight-year, $96 million contract.
Since joining the Stars, Rantanen has recorded two goals and two assists in seven games.
