The Dallas Stars will be without No. 1 center Roope Hintz for Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche, head coach Peter DeBoer said on Friday. Hintz left Game 4 with an upper-body injury and has not played since.
Late in the first period of Game 4, Hintz exited after a rough shift that saw him take a cross-check to the right arm, block a shot with his right foot, and get a cross-check to the back. Hintz will miss a second straight game as a result of the injury.
In his Friday press conference, DeBoer told reporters that the Stars are optimistic that Hintz could return for a possible Game 7 or the start of the Western Conference Final.
"Roope Hintz is out," DeBoer said. "Still day-to-day. Hopeful for either next game, or hopefully, next series if we can make that happen."
Even when he has been on the ice, Hintz has had a somewhat quiet postseason on the scoresheet. Through 11 games, Hintz has recorded just two goals and four assists. That's a noticeable dip from his regular season production, when he tallied 30 goals and 35 assists in 80 games.
Without Hintz on Wednesday, the Stars dropped a possible series-clinching Game 5 by a score of 5-3. With Hintz on the shelf, Matt Duchene took Hintz's place between Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. Tyler Seguin also shifted over to center between Mason Marchment and Evgenii Dadonov.
Leading the series 3-2 heading into Game 6, the Stars can close out the Avalanche with a win and give Hintz the opportunity to return in the conference finals.
