Stars rally twice in Winnipeg, but Manitoba sweeps weekend series

Texas showed plenty of fight at Canada Life Centre, but Winnipeg still belonged to Manitoba. The Stars erased a four-goal hole on Friday and a two-goal deficit on Sunday, only to leave with a 5-4 shootout loss and a 4-3 overtime loss, a weekend that was equal parts resilience and warning sign before the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Friday night was the louder gut punch. Texas fell behind 4-0, then clawed all the way back behind goals from Artem Shlaine, Justin Ertel and Jack Anderson. Jack Anderson’s tying goal came with 5.6 seconds left in regulation, a rally that pushed the game to a shootout before Manitoba finished it off. Walker Duehr’s shorthanded goal was one of the early blows Texas had to absorb, and Remi Poirier still made 25 saves in defeat.

Sunday followed the same script, only with a different ending. Manitoba opened a 2-0 lead again, but Texas answered through Curtis McKenzie, Cross Hanas and Dylan Hryckowian to force overtime. Samuel Fagemo made sure the Moose kept the weekend sweep, scoring his second goal of the day at 2:12 of the extra period. Poirier was busier this time, turning aside 38 shots, but Texas could not complete the comeback a second straight afternoon.

The split-point trip left Texas at 35-29-3-2 and Manitoba at 33-29-5-1, with the Stars still having clinched a playoff berth on April 3 but still searching for cleaner finishes as the postseason approaches. The weekend also tightened a season series that had already become one of Texas’ most familiar measuring sticks. Before the trip, the Stars were 2-2-1-1 against the Moose, and the clubs had split the first four games in Winnipeg and Cedar Park in dramatic fashion, including Texas wins in Manitoba on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31, 2025 and Manitoba wins by 7-3 and 6-2 on March 2 and March 3.

For Texas, the takeaway is clear: the comeback muscle is real. The issue now is whether the late-game defending, special teams and final save can match that urgency once the games turn to spring. The Stars kept themselves alive in both contests, but Manitoba finished both of them.