Texas Stars Power Play Impotent Against Heat in 5-3 Loss

Stockton camped out in the box (Credit: Christina Shapiro/Texas Stars)

When you're handed nine power play opportunities in a game, you can't say you had a good game if you come up empty on all nine. That's what the Stars had tonight in Cedar Park. Gift after gift for the power play crew from a delinquent Stockton Heat team gave Texas no help. In fact, the Stars gave up two shorthanded tallies in the game.

"Any time you have nine power plays...," said Derek Laxdal, trailing off and not completing the thought. He continued, "Right now, our groups aren't working. There's no timing and no execution. We have to shake it up a bit."

The Stars came out of the first period down 3-0. Laxdal noted, "The first period was our worst period all year. We had maybe two players who had jump. We were flat, as a group."

The bottom six pushed the Stars back to even. Between Gemel Smith, Branden Troock and Cory Kane, Laxdal had praise for them.

"That group stirred the drink for us tonight, but we need to have a little come to Jesus meeting here and talk about 'earned never given'."

Late in the game, Blair Riley beat Jack Campbell to make it 4-3. The Heat would tack on an ENG to seal it up.

Tonight's lines:
Dowling-Morin-Ranford
Dickinson-Shore-Stransky
Hulak-Smith-Rallo
Molin-Kane-Troock

Lindell-Johns
Bystrom-Honka
Nemeth-Blacker

Campbell

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
McKenzie, Faksa (callup)
Mangene, Ully, Evans (scratch)
Elie (day-to-day upper body)
Backman (concussion)

Tonight's attendance was 4,350.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas v. Stockton - November 14 2015