The Manitoba Moose weren’t in a playoff position for very long.
In their first game since getting above the cut line, the Moose were knocked back out of the playoff picture with a tough 3-2 loss to the Texas Stars on Wednesday.
The Moose had a one-goal lead in the third period before the Stars scored goals just 34 seconds apart to take the lead for good.
Marko Dano and Seth Griffith scored goals for the Moose as their three-game win streak came to a halt.
Joel Hanley opened the scoring for the Stars in the first period before Dano replied with the only goal of the second period.
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Griffith scored five minutes into the final frame to give the Moose their first lead of the game. But just four minutes later, Michael Mersch and Dillon Heatherington scored two quick goals to give the Stars a 3-2 lead.
Mikhail Berdin made 29 stops in goal for Manitoba with Eric Comrie still on recall with the Winnipeg Jets.
Landon Bow had 25 saves for the Stars as they leapfrogged the Moose in the Central Division standings.
The Milwaukee Admirals also moved ahead of Manitoba with a 4-2 victory over the Rockford IceHogs.
The Moose are now even with Rockford at 72 points each, while Milwaukee and Texas are tied for the final playoff spot with 73 points. The Moose have a game in hand on Milwaukee and have played two fewer games than Texas.
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The Moose have just nine games remaining in the regular season as they continue their five-game road trip on Friday against the San Antonio Rampage.