The Texas Stars dropped their fifth straight game this afternoon in California, putting them below .500 once again this season. With 24 games remaining, the Stars still need 80 total points to meet the current playoff line, now shared by Bakersfield and Tucson. That gives them a record goal of 14-9-1 from here on out.
Here's the release:
Goaltender David Rittich and the Stockton Heat put the clamps on the Texas Stars power play to hand the Stars a 4-1 loss on Sunday night in front of 4,579 in attendance at Stockton Arena.
Rittich stopped 27 of 28 shots in net for the Heat (21-22-4-1) and helped hold the Stars (24-25-1-2) scoreless on seven power play opportunities in the game.