Joel Kiviranta's unlikely heroics etched his name in the record books.

The Dallas Stars forward became the first rookie ever to notch a Game 7 hat trick when he capped off his three-goal effort Friday with the overtime winner that eliminated the Colorado Avalanche and propelled the Stars into the Western Conference Final.

The 24-year-old was noticeably emotional postgame.

The winner came less than eight minutes into the extra frame. His second marker, which tied the contest 4-4 with 3:30 remaining in the third period, came 10 seconds after Avalanche forward Vladislav Namestnikov scored his second goal of the game to give Colorado the lead.

Friday marked Kiviranta's third career playoff contest after he suited up for Game 6 of the Stars' first-round series against the Calgary Flames and a round-robin matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

The undrafted winger collected one goal and no assists in 11 games during the regular season.

Dallas clinched its first Western Conference Final berth since 2008 with the 5-4 victory Friday. The Stars will meet the winner of Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars saved some fireworks for the final minutes of regulation in Game 7 on Friday.

Vladislav Namestnikov buried his second goal of the contest to give the Avalanche a 4-3 lead with 3:40 left in the third period.

However, 10 seconds later, Joel Kiviranta netted his second marker of the contest - and only his second career playoff goal - to even things up.

Neither side scored again before the end of the third period, sending Game 7 to overtime.

Kiviranta and Alexander Radulov potted a pair of goals apiece, providing all of the Stars' offense before the extra frame. Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri notched the other markers for the Avalanche.

The winner of the contest advances to the Western Conference Final, which Colorado hasn't reached since 2002. Dallas is seeking its first appearance in the conference finals since 2008.

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The Colorado Avalanche are without captain Gabriel Landeskog for Game 7 versus the Dallas Stars on Friday afternoon, the team announced.

Landeskog had his leg sliced by teammate Cale Makar in the second period of Game 6 and was unable to finish the contest. He's been deemed unfit to play, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Landeskog notched 44 points in 54 games this season, and had eight in 12 contests in the playoffs before being sidelined.

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The Arizona Coyotes may be considering adding some championship pedigree to their front office.

The Coyotes interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Karmanos for Arizona's vacant GM role Thursday, multiple sources told NHL Network's Craig Morgan.

Karmanos is in his third season as the Penguins' assistant GM. He was Pittsburgh's vice president of hockey operations from 2014-17, helping to oversee its Stanley Cup-winning squads in 2016 and 2017.

Before working with the Penguins under current GM Jim Rutherford, the 46-year-old spent 15 years as an executive with the Carolina Hurricanes from 1998-2013. Rutherford served as Carolina's GM from 1994-2014, and both men helped the Hurricanes win the title in 2006.

Karmanos is the son of former Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers owner Peter Karmanos. Carolina fired the younger Karmanos four days before training camp in 2013, and his father - who ran the team at the time - referred to it as a "family matter." Three of the elder Karmanos' sons, including Jason, sued their father for $105 million in 2016. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in mediation.

Former Coyotes general manager and president of hockey operations John Chayka terminated his contract in late July, after which the team accused him of "quitting" on the club as it was about to begin postseason play. Chayka spent four years with Arizona after the Coyotes anointed him as the youngest GM in NHL history upon giving him the job at the age of 26.

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It's not often that one of Wayne Gretzky's records can be broken, but he hopes Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon gets a crack at setting a new benchmark for playoff points in a single season.

The Great One holds the record with a whopping 47 points in 18 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 1985. MacKinnon has a long way to go - he's currently at 25 points through 14 contests - but could challenge the all-time mark if Colorado goes on a run to the final.

"I would be the first to shake his hand if he were to break it. He is a terrific kid," Gretzky told TSN's Frank Seravalli on Thursday.

Gretzky added, "He's got more than a good chance. He has been dominant in every game. It's almost like he's picked up 20 guys on his shoulders and said, 'We're not going to lose.'"

He went on to praise MacKinnon as a blend of some of the best players to ever suit up.

"He is a cross between (Mario) Lemieux's hands, (Mark) Messier's power, Connor (McDavid's) speed. He is the full package," Gretzky said. "He is a force."

If MacKinnon breaks Gretzky's record, some may question its legitimacy, as this year's 24-team playoff featured an extra round. Gretzky doesn't buy into that notion.

"Absolutely not," he said. "Look, there is an evolution to the game. Things change, the playoffs change. Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe only got two rounds. Then Bobby Orr came along and he got three rounds. No one said that my records shouldn't count because I played four (rounds), more games than Gordie or Beliveau or The Rocket (Maurice Richard). Their records all would have been a lot higher had they played more games."

Gretzky averaged a remarkable 2.61 points per game on his record-setting run, and MacKinnon is currently at 1.78. The Avalanche center has his work cut out for him, but MacKinnon's terrific postseason thus far already places him in Gretzky's company: He's the first player to amass 25 points in his club's first 14 playoff games since Gretzky did so with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

Gretzky had three 40-point postseasons in his career. The only other player to reach that threshold was Lemieux, who registered 44 points in the 1991 playoffs.

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Clear your schedules and get your popcorn ready, folks, we've got two Game 7s on our hands Friday evening.

First, the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Dallas Stars, and then the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights will battle to determine who meets the first game's winner in the Western Conference Final.

These will be the first Game 7s of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's rather surprising we've reached this point, as the Golden Knights and Stars held 3-1 series leads.

As the saying goes, anything can happen in a Game 7, so expect the unexpected. That said, here are some key storylines to monitor in each game that could have a major impact on which teams live to see another day.

Hutchinson's heroics

Of everything that's unfolded in 2020, Michael Hutchinson stealing a playoff series could be the most unexpected turn of events. The 30-year-old is the Avs' third-string netminder but has risen to the occasion since being forced to start Game 5 after Pavel Francouz's injury.

Hutchinson - who had previously never made a postseason start - stopped 58 of 62 Dallas shots in his two wins this series. His sudden resurgence comes after he posted a dreadful .886 save percentage and 3.66 goals-against average across 15 appearances as a backup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There have been several instances in NHL history where an unheralded goalie has carried their team to playoff success, but Hutchinson leading the Avalanche on a run would be one of the unlikeliest the league has ever seen. It's hard not to be impressed by the journeyman backup, who's played for four different teams over seven seasons. He's authoring a legitimate feel-good story and can earn some future security as a pending unrestricted free agent if he keeps it up.

Demko's dominance

With the Golden Knights holding a 3-1 series lead and All-Star netminder Jacob Markstrom suddenly unfit to play, the Canucks appeared dead in the water. Enter Thatcher Demko, who put Vancouver on his back in victories in Games 5 and 6.

Demko was the Canucks' backup all season and posted a .906 save percentage in 27 appearances. He made 43 saves in Game 5, followed by a 48-stop shutout Thursday in Game 6. Vegas heavily outplayed Vancouver in each of its attempts to close out the series, but Demko has been unflappable against consistent barrages from the Golden Knights' offense.

In a one-game, winner-take-all situation, there's perhaps no greater advantage than a red-hot goaltender, so the Canucks have to be feeling confident they can pull off the upset against the top-seeded Golden Knights.

If Demko does it again, it may set up a Cinderella matchup with Hutchinson for a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. File that one in the "who would have thought?" department.

Who starts for Vegas?

While Vancouver and Colorado ride waves of unforeseen goalie magic, Vegas finds itself embroiled in a controversy between the pipes with its season on the line.

The sword picture Marc-Andre Fleury's agent tweeted at the outset of the series would hardly register as a story now if Robin Lehner had found a way to close out the series. In Vancouver's two most recent wins, Lehner has an .872 save percentage against only 39 shots. Does Peter DeBoer hope his No. 1 can find his game again in short order, or does he turn to Fleury as he did for the club's last back-to-back set?

Despite owning a .893 save percentage in three appearances in the bubble, Fleury does have a case to earn the start. The veteran goaltender has more experience in high-leverage postseason games, including multiple Game 7 victories. He's also 12-2-2 lifetime against the Canucks.

MacKinnon's magic

Nathan MacKinnon's been the most exciting player to watch this postseason. He's willed the Avalanche to several wins this summer and will look to do so again in Game 7.

The MVP finalist is scorching hot. He tied Bobby Orr and Mark Messier for the second-longest point streak to start a postseason with an assist in Game 6. MacKinnon also became the first player to record 25 points in his team's first 14 postseason games since Wayne Gretzky in 1992-93.

The 25-year-old's game has developed into appointment viewing, and hockey fans can only hope he's got another virtuoso performance up his sleeve for his club's biggest contest of the season.

Can Stars' top line reappear?

It's been a Jekyll and Hyde series thus far for the Stars' top producers. Dallas' top trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov combined for just one point in the club's last two games after racking up 17 in the previous four contests.

There's no question the Stars' big guns need to step up Friday night, especially against the MacKinnon line, which has shown no signs of slowing down.

"We can win games as a line," Seguin said after Game 6, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Dallas can help its top players make an impact by staying out of the penalty box. The Stars gave the Avalanche six power plays in Game 5 and five in Game 6, significantly limiting their top line's ice time.

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The Vancouver Canucks avoided elimination for the second straight game on Thursday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 in Game 6.

After turning aside 41 of 42 shots in Game 5, Vancouver netminder Thatcher Demko blanked the Golden Knights by denying all 48 of their shots. He became the first rookie goalie to win each of his first two career NHL playoff starts when his team was facing elimination since Jacques Plante in 1953, according to Sportsnet Stats.

He also set the record for the most saves from a rookie in a playoff shutout.

"That’s hockey. It’s the best sport in the world for that reason, there’s a lot of ups and downs," Demko said of his team's gutsy win. "Backs against the wall, our guys are stepping up, but the job isn’t done yet.”

There was a much better pace to the Canucks' game immediately in Game 6 compared to Game 5. Jake Virtanen opened up the scoring for Vancouver minutes into the first period. Then after a bit of a sloppy start, Vegas picked up its play and started to increase the pressure.

Vegas continued to control much of the play during a scoreless second period. The Golden Knights outshot Vancouver 17-7 in the frame while holding a 68 Corsi For percentage. Counting back to the end of the first period, Vancouver nearly went 20 minutes straight without a shot on goal. But Demko stood tall, even with Vegas controlling the puck often.

Following an impressive solo effort from rookie defenseman Quinn Hughes to open up the third period, J.T. Miller was able to score and put the Canucks ahead by two. Minutes later, Hughes wired home a slap shot, adding to the lead. Bo Horvat ended up scoring an empty-netter to cement the victory.

After dropping two straight games, Vegas netminder Robin Lehner isn't downplaying his performance. With Marc-Andre Fleury rested and ready, it's unclear which goalie will start the pivotal Game 7.

"Whoever plays, plays. If I get to play, I'll do my best," Lehner said, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster. "I feel good out there. It's just the bounces aren't going our way right now."

Demko, who looked visibly exhausted toward the end of Game 6, isn't worried about possibly playing Game 7 on such short rest.

"The only difference will be I might not skate tomorrow. That's how college was for me," Demko said, according to Webster. "It's nothing new for anyone in pro hockey. We've just got to prepare the same way."

Game 7 is set for 9 p.m. ET on Friday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

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