Coming into this first round series of Calder Cup Playoff action, the Texas Stars and Manitoba Moose were heading in opposite directions. The Stars had stumbled from second in the Central Division all the way into the fourth seed.
Manitoba, meanwhile, pulled themselves out of the basement in the division and set the tone in a season-ending series with two big wins in Texas of 8-3 and 4-1 scores. Finishing with a 6-2 record over the Stars, it seemed as though Manitoba was primed for a quick series.
In a way, they would be right. Texas struck fast and furiously, and in just two games won in two very different ways the Stars are moving on for a date with Milwaukee.
Star Power
Texas had one clear advantage over Manitoba from puck drop: Mavrik Bourque. Borque led the American Hockey League in points scored, and just before Game 2 was named Most Valuable Player of the 2023-24 season.
During the regular season, Manitoba had done a good job of limiting Bourque’s effectiveness with just 5 points in 8 games. The Moose looked to repeat that success in this series.
Good luck trying to keep Bourque down, though. The 2020 first-round pick led the way in Game 1 with two goals and two assists, nearly matching his season output against Manitoba in one game. Matej Blumel and Christian Kyrou – two more young Stars – followed up with a goal and assist each.
The 6-3 final in Game 1 was a perfect representation of Texas’ offensive ability with the puck when their weapons came ready to play. This was the team that the Central feared in the first half of the season. The talent came ready to play and the Moose just had no answer to shut them down. The Stars poured in an avalanche of goals with their MVP leading the way.
“Your best player [..] steps up. Every team knows he’s out there and he was able to really elevate in an important moment for our group.”
Head coach Neil Graham on Mavrik Bourque.
No Soup for You
Game 2 was a different story. Manitoba came out of the gates with a jump in their skates and finally saw a bit more of the puck. With it, the Moose decided to fire everything, everywhere, all at once at Texas goaltender Remi Poirier.
In just two periods, Manitoba had nearly doubled Texas’ shot total, outshooting them to the tune of 30-17. Despite it, the Moose found themselves down 1-0 courtesy of a Fredrik Karlstrom snipe on the power play. Now in even further desperation, the Moose continued to throw shots from all over the ice at Porier’s net – without success.
With Ville Heinola in the box for a high stick early in the third, the Stars put their #1 ranked power play unit back on the ice. Manitoba decided to help them out by leaving Karlstrom all alone in front of the net with all the time in the world.
That goal would a backbreaker for the Moose, who were blanked in Game 2 by Poirier’s 41-save performance. Breakaways. Screened shots. Point blank opportunities. He was stellar in the clinching game and was able to give his team the win despite portions of the game where they were on their heels.
That’s what you need to win in the postseason.
“Going into playoffs, its a brand new season. I think I did great tonight. The boys helped me. 41 shots but some of those were from outside and the guys cleared the front of the net. I think it was great for me, get the confidence back after last weekend. I think it’s a well-earned game tonight.”
Remi Poirier on his performance in Game 2.
Looking Ahead
The Stars get a bit of a break before hosting the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday, May 2 for Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals.
