Pete DeBoer Gives Roope Hintz Injury Update After Stars’ Game 3 Loss vs Oilers

The Dallas Stars lost Roope Hintz to a concerning injury in Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night after he was blatantly slashed in the leg by Darnell Nurse. Hintz, who is the Stars’ top centre, exited in the third period and never returned.

Leading up to Game 3 on Sunday, the Finnish star was expected to take warm-ups and see how he felt. That’s exactly what Hintz did, but he ultimately sat out the contest as Dallas was smashed 6-1 by the Oilers on the road.

Following the loss, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer gave a brief update on Hintz, making it clear he would’ve suited up if he felt 100%.

Via Sportsnet:

That’s not what any Dallas fan will want to hear. While it was promising to see Hintz on the ice taking shots and skating around, Deboer clearly said he wasn’t close.

Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson both played on the first line in Game 3 to make up for the loss of Hintz, while rookie Oskar Bäck stepped into the lineup in place of the 28-year-old.

This is the playoffs, and guys play through injuries all the time at this point in the year. But this current ailment is serious enough that Hintz and the Stars’ training staff believed he shouldn’t risk it.

DeBoer voiced that Hintz is day-to-day, which means his status for Game 4 on Tuesday in Edmonton is up in the air. The veteran is a massive piece of this Stars squad, scoring five goals and tallying six helpers in the postseason so far. He also put up 67 points during the regular season.

While Dallas has lots of depth, they could certainly use Hintz back on their top line as they look to avoid a 3-1 hole against Connor McDavid and Co.