Curtis McKenzie Pots a Pair in 4-3 Texas Shootout Win in Colorado

Stars lose defenseman Will Butcher to injury in the first period

(Credit: Colorado Eagles)

After the All-Star Break, Texas opened their lengthy two-week road trip with a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Eagles via a shootout in Loveland this evening. It was a back-and-forth contest with neither team breaking away. Curtis McKenzie kept his strong season going with two goals and an assist.

On the injury front, Texas lost defenseman Will Butcher early in the contest after he collided hard with the boards. He is expected to be out for the rest of the trip as the team puts him at week-to-week.

The Stars opened the scoring just 67 seconds in with a blast from McKenzie directly off a faceoff win on the right wing dot by Mavrik Bourque. The Eagles evened things up just coming off a power play. Oskar Olausson found Josh Jacobs completely across the ice and through a mess of bodies for the open net.

On a power play a few minutes later, Butcher had trouble corralling a pass from Tanner Kero at the point. Callahan Burke nabbed the puck and went in on Murray for a shorthanded goal, pushing the Eagles to a 2-1 lead. The Stars would redeem the power play thirty seconds later with a tip from McKenzie off Riley Barber's shot for a tie at two.

Dead halfway through the second period, Barber was on it again and Bourque was the beneficiary, tapping in the go-ahead goal. The Stars held that lead until early in the third. Another shorthanded goal on a play where it seems like the entire Stars lineup missed Ben Meyers on the far side after a delayed offside goal sent Texas out of the zone. They went for a change and Meyers beat Murray for the 3-3 tie.

With no scoring on overtime despite a lengthy Colorado power play, the clubs went to a shootout. Tanner Kero, the shooutout specialist, came in left-to-right and went blocker high for a goal. Riley Barber went backhand on the blocker side, also piercing Annunen. Matt Murray stopped both shots he saw and the Stars won for just the third time ever in Loveland.

These two teams play again tomorrow.

Injuries, scratches and notes
Studenic (callup)
Karlstrom, Karow (scratch)
Rosburg (out for season - upper-body injury)

Tonight's attendance was 5,089.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at Colorado - February 10 2023