The Texas Stars made a dent in their magic number for a playoff berth but only a small one after losing to the Rockford IceHogs 3-2 in a shootout. Gavin Bayreuther scored a late 6-on-5 goal to send it to overtime. Tenured NHL defenseman Cody Franson tallied two assists for the IceHogs, who went 2-for-2 on the power play and blanked the Stars on their two chances.
“If you’re PK is loose, making mistakes and not getting pucks out, you’re going to get stung,” said Stars coach Derek Laxdal. “And if your PP is sloppy and lazy, you’re not going to score any goals.