‘More comfortable every day’: Mikko Rantanen stars as Carolina Hurricanes top Sabres
Mikko Rantanen had on a different sweater Thursday.
It was Whalers night at the Lenovo Center as the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Buffalo Sabres. The Canes, dressed in their green-and-white uniforms with the iconic Hartford logo, took a 5-2 victory as Rantanen notched his first multi-point game with Carolina with a goal and assist.
The game started with a bang. As soon as the puck dropped, Canes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi dropped the gloves and had a go with Dylan Cozens of the Sabres, getting in five punches and ending up on top as Canes fans roared their approval.
“Obviously, a good job by ‘KK’ to start the game and bury the guy there,” Rantanen said. “It gave us a lot of energy and the building was rocking after that for a while.”
Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and then Rantanen scored as the Canes/Whalers punched out the first three goals and led 3-1 after one. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff gave starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen a quick hook, turning to former Carolina goalie James Reimer after the Aho goal.
“It’s easier to play with the lead than chase the game, which we’ve been doing lately,” Rantanen said. “We need to take a recipe out of that.”
Taylor Hall scored his first goal with the Hurricanes in the second period and goalie Pyotr Kochetkov took it from there for the Canes (34-21-4) as Seth Jarvis added a late empty-net goal. The Sabres (24-28-5) had four shots in first period and 16 in the game — Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka with the Buffalo goals.
Since being traded to the Canes from Colorado, Rantanen has had to join a new team, get a feel for his new coach, tried to dodge the flu that some of his teammates did not dodge, and adjust to different surroundings.
He played a handful of games with the Canes, left for the 4 Nations Face-Off to compete for Team Finland and returned for road games against Toronto and Montreal, both losses. Rantanen also took a stick close to his right eye against the Canadiens, leaving a reddish welt.
Meanwhile, speculation began to circulate in the NHL that the Canes were offering Rantanen an eight-year contract worth more than $100 million, but also were entertaining the option of trading the big forward before the March 7 deadline if not making any progress on a deal.
If that sounds like a lot for a 28-year-old to process in a short period of time, it has been.
“It has been a lot but it’s getting more comfortable every day,” Rantanen said before the Canes’ first home game since Feb. 8. “I’m good. I can just focus on the games.”
Brind’Amour had Rantanen on a line centered by Aho opposite Svechnikov on the wing as the Canes looked to get out of a rut that had them lose five of their past six. Before the game, Rantanen perked up when asked about the line combination and how it might work.
“Obviously two elite players,” Rantanen said. “We’ll just try to find the rhythm a little bit offensively. Obviously playing with Aho before we created a lot of chances and we haven’t finished enough. We need to be better in that aspect of the game, finishing our chances.
“We just have to play together as a unit and try to stick close to each other and support each other. That should lead to some chances but also we have to defend well. Defend well, and everything will come from there.”
Rantanen, since joining the Canes, has been on several different lines as Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has looked for the right fit. He has had Aho, Jack Roslovic and Jesperi Kotkaniemi at center, and Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and rookie Jackson Blake as the wingers.
In his first eight games with Carolina, Rantanen had one goal and two assists, missing the Utah game –and a 7-3 win – before the 4 Nations event with an injury.
“It’s been a tough stretch for him,” Brind’Amour said Thursday morning. “It seems like it has been one thing after another. No real consistent normalcy with his routine. Hopefully now he can get more consistent with who he’s playing with and get some chemistry there.”
At 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, Rantanen has long been called “Moose” by his teammates. Add in Svechnikov, listed at 6-3 and 199 pounds, and Aho and it’s a power-packed line made up of three former NHL All-Stars.
“He’s an animal, right?” a smiling Rantanen said, looking over at Svechnikov. “He’s strong on the puck and can shoot the puck. He’s a strong guy. He rarely loses it when he’s on a one-on-one, which is a talent.”
Rantanen, who said he has moved into an apartment in Raleigh, said he has steered clear of any online and social media chatter about a possible trade or a new contract that would tie him long term to Carolina.
“Just focus on this team and winning games. That’s my only goal,” he said. “I don’t think about all that other stuff, really. Just what happens on the ice.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 9:52 PM.
