Fast Facts: Moose vs. Stars – Dec. 29

The Manitoba Moose return to action tonight following their holiday break. They host the division-leading Texas Stars at 7 p.m. at Canada Life Centre. It's the third meeting of the season for the two clubs after the Moose picked up a pair of wins in Texas, requiring a shootout and overtime to do so. Manitoba is coming off a 5-2 win in Iowa prior to the break while the Stars earned a pair of wins over Grand Rapids.

Tonight's game features the Shut Out Hunger Food Drive, presented by Red River Co-op, in support of Harvest Manitoba. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the game for donation to Harvest Manitoba. Tickets for the 7 p.m. contest are available at MooseHockey.com/TICKETS.

Double-Dipping

Parker Ford scored twice against the Iowa Wild on Saturday. It was the forward’s second multi-point outing of the campaign and the first time in his professional career scoring multiple goals in a single contest. The winger, who signed a two-year entry-level contract with Winnipeg in 2023, has five points (4G, 1A) over his past five games and has notched 12 points (7G, 5A) in 25 total contests. That currently ranks the winger seventh in Moose scoring. Ford also registered the game-winning tally on Saturday, his third of the season. That ties him with C.J. Suess for the most among Moose skaters this season.

Blue Line Production

Kyle Capobianco scored a goal in Manitoba’s latest win. The shorthanded tally was the first of the defenceman’s AHL career. Capobianco’s first two professional shorthanded points have both come this season with Manitoba. The defender, a third round Arizona selection in 2015, is currently tied for third in Manitoba scoring with 19 points (6G, 13A) through 23 contests and is the only Manitoba defender to reach double-digit point totals so far this season. The Missisauga, Ont. product is tied for 10th among AHL defencemen in scoring.

Antlered Debut

Dawson Barteaux made his Moose and AHL season debut on Saturday in Iowa against the Wild. Prior to his recall to Manitoba, the defenceman had registered 13 points (3G, 10A) in 15 games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads and is third on the squad with a plus-19 rating. The Foxwarren, Man. product is familiar with Texas and made his AHL debut with the Stars during the 2020-21 season. Barteaux went on to record five points (2G, 3A) in 57 career AHL contests with Texas. The defender was a sixth-round pick (168th overall) of the Dallas Stars in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Moose and Stars Don’t Do Boring

The Moose host the Central Division-leading Texas Stars this weekend for the teams’ third meeting of the season. The Moose claimed the first two games between the clubs with a shootout and overtime win in Texas. Brad Lambert played the shootout hero, while Ashton Sautner netted the clinching extra time goal. The two rivals have been tightly matched over the past three seasons with 15 of the past 18 games involving the Moose and Stars decided by two or less goals. In fact, seven of the past nine contests between Manitoba and Texas required overtime. Entering the pair of weekend home contests against the Stars, the Moose are 8-2-0-0 at home over the past five seasons when Texas comes to town.

Who's Trending?

Jeff Malott posted an assist in Manitoba’s recent win. The forward is riding a four-game assist streak, which ties his longest point streak of the campaign.  Malott is tied for third on the Moose in scoring and has tallied 19 points (7G, 12A) through 24 games. The Waterdown, Ont. product paces the Moose in December in both assists and points.