The Stars, having won three of their last four road games and collecting points in each of their previous four outings, saw that streak come to an end Sunday night at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
Unable to generate enough offense, Texas fell behind early and never found the spark needed to keep pace, ultimately dropping a 5–1 decision to the Gulls.
The first period began with the Stars on the penalty kill just 30 seconds into the game after Kole Lind was whistled for tripping. Their special teams were tested again a little over three minutes later when Sean Chisholm took a kneeing penalty. Texas held strong, keeping the Gulls off the board on both early man advantages.
The Stars were then forced to play the majority of the game down a forward after Samu Tuomaala got tangled up at center ice and went down with an apparent lower-body injury. He did not return.
Midway through the opening frame, at five-on-five, Jan Myšák fired a quick wrist shot from the left circle that slipped through Remi Poirier’s pads, giving the home team a 1–0 lead.
The period ended much like it began, with Texas shorthanded once more. Gavin White was called for hooking, and despite spending significant time on the penalty kill and being outshot 15–2, the Stars managed to keep the deficit at one.
Just over five minutes into the middle frame, Texas earned its first power play when Tristan Luneau was called for hooking. The Stars peppered goaltender Calle Clang with shots, including a strong chance from Artem Shlaine, but could not find the equalizer.
Texas generated more offense in the second period, recording 10 shots, but still couldn’t solve Clang. Through two periods, San Diego outshot Texas 29–12. Poirier’s stellar performance kept the Stars within striking distance.
Prior to the game, Stars play-by-play voice John Peterson asked head coach Toby Petersen about opponents getting off to fast starts.
“That's not a trend we're looking to continue. But as you know, the game before in Coachella, Remi did a great job… they came out flying, getting all sorts of opportunities, and Remi held us in there so we could battle back and get the lead and ultimately get a point. And last night, Arno [Tiefensee] did the same thing. It's great to have our goaltenders playing the way they are, where they give us a chance every night.”
As the third period began, Texas once again found itself on the penalty kill. While attempting to strip the puck from a Gulls skater, Tommy Bergsland was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking. This time, Poirier couldn’t keep San Diego at bay, as Tim Washe scored to make it 2–0.
Later in the final frame, an odd-man rush extended the Gulls’ lead to 3–0 when Sasha Pastujov beat Poirier on the stick side. With Texas desperate to generate offense on a power play, Poirier was pulled for an extra skater with 5:51 remaining. The gamble backfired, and Washe struck again, pushing the lead to 4–0.
Texas broke through less than a minute later when Kyle Looft scored his fourth of the season, skating in from the blue line and beating Clang high on the stick side to make it 4–1.
The final goal of the night belonged to San Diego, as Nico Myatovic scored his third of the year into an empty net, sealing a 5–1 Gulls win.
Next up: Texas finishes their season long six game road trip in Ontario on Tuesday night at 9pm CST.
Tonight’s lines
Lind-Hyry-Hughes
Stranges-Scott-McKenzie
Chisholm-Shlaine-Tuomaala
Hanas-Becker-Seminoff
Bertucci-Karow
White-Looft
Injuries, scratches and notes
Capobianco, Kolyachonok (callup)
Ertel, Martino, Wheatcroft, Punnett (scratch)
Tonight’s attendance was 5,019
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