Shlaine’s Second Game Winning Goal in a Row Propels Stars to Fifth Straight Win

 

Credit: Logan Foust/Texas Stars

The Stars capped off an excellent month of hockey with their fifth straight win as they defeated the Henderson Silver Knights for the second night in a row. The style of game could not have been any different from the previous matchup, but Artem Shlaine and Remi Poirier ensured the result was the same.

Shlaine got his second straight game-winning goal following his OT deflection in Friday’s contest. The rookie leads the team with 13 goals on the year. He and Seminoff have been a big part of Hughes’ 33 assists this season, leading to his All-Star nomination. That line is really clicking.

“[Hughes] tells me all the time, 'Keep your stick on the ice and good things will happen,'” Shlaine said post-game with a Cheshire grin. "... I think we are really refining our chemistry, the three of us."

Both teams were looking to play a more disciplined game after last night's unbridled afair. The type of game everyone, except the coach, loves. Both teams played heavier defense and were much more structured through the neutral zone. That made scoring chances hard to come by, but Texas really made the most of them.

Poirier was incredible in what was essentially his second straight game after Arno Tiefensee was pulled early in the game on Friday. He stopped 29 of 30, including some very timely saves. Perhaps none bigger than late in the third period when Vladislav Kolyachonok turned the puck over in his own end, leading to a partial breakaway for the Knights. Poirier tracked the puck perfectly into his glove. Saving the Stars' lead and potentially Kolyachonok’s pride.

"[Poirier] was incredible," head coach Toby Petersen said post game. "He's played a lot of hockey, faced a lot of grade A chances, and made some huge saves at some key times. When we needed him the most, he was there for us..."

Penalties plagued Texas in the First. Three somewhat suspect calls put them on their back foot the entire second half of the frame, and gave the Silver Knights the early lead with a power play goal that deflected off the chest of a net front attacker.

Hughes got the first penalty for a touch foul hold on the forecheck. It did come after a potential missed high stick, though, so it could have been more of a give-back call. The second call, which led to the Knights' first goal, was an alleged hold on Taylor, but the Knight he was accused of holding fell in a seemingly fraudulent manner.

Taylor argued mightily, and to solidify his point, the Knights did take several dives in this team's first contest. At some points, the officials were actually yelling for Hendersen players to get up as they lay on the ice lobbying for calls.

"I'm trying to stress to stress to the guys, of course, it's gonna come out sometimes, the frustrations, but nothing good comes from that," Petersen said. "It's a good lesson for our guys as we develop NHL athletes to stay off the refs."

Texas got going in the second after they finally found their way on the power play after many pleas from both the fans and the Stars' bench. Stranges tore through the slot with the puck on his stick and made a sharp cut, and whipped the puck to Seminoff on the far side of the net. The Knights' goaltender was totally fooled, expecting a shot from Stranges, giving Seminoff a wide-open net for his easiest goal of the year.

Following that tally, Texas went to work in the offensive zone, eventually leading to the Stars taking the two-to-one lead midway through the period. Shlaine whistled a one-timer home after a nifty give-and-go with Cameron Hughes. Both of the first two tally’s for Texas were works of hockey art.

The frustration over the lack of calls really ramped up for Texas in the second frame. Two of the more notable non-calls were against Stranges and Cross Hanas. Stranges was pretty blatantly hooked as he crossed the offensive blue line, which led to an eruption of anger from the Stars' bench and the entire H-E-B Center. In a bit of self-serve justice, the Stars second goal came on the very next shift. Hanas was cross-checked in the face as he went to finish a check. He was spitting blood on the bench for several minets but still no call came.

Poirier and the Stars locked the game down in the third. Texas kept the Knights out of the slot for almost the entire fame and the few slip-ups they had were easily cleaned up by Poirier. Henderson had an extended opportunity 6-on-5, but still, most of their shots were coming from the perimeter. Finally, Hughes was able to score the empty-netter with a gritty play in the neutral zone. Hughes factored into all three goals for the Stars.

Tonight completed an incredible turnaround month for Texas. They won 9 of 13 games and propelled themselves into fourth in the Central Division with an opportunity to jump into third next weekend. The Stars improving health and the influx of offense has taken what could have been a season to forget into some resiliance to remember. The Stars will look to extend their excellent month of January into February as they take on the Moose at home on Friday, February 6th. Tonight’s Lines: Hughes-Shlaine-Seminoff Stranges-Scott-Lind Hanas-Becker-McDonald Ertel-Chisholm-McKenzie Taylor-Krys Bertucci-Kolyachonok Karow-White Poirier Injuries, scratches and notes: White, Martino(scratch) Bergsland (warm-up) Hyry, Wheatcroft, Tuomaala (Injured) Tonight’s attendance was 6,778, a sellout. AHL Gamesheet - Texas v. Henderson - January 31th, 2026