After not issuing an update in yesterday’s media availability, it is now confirmed that the Dallas Stars will be without Roope Hintz for Game 5, according to the team’s radio analyst, Bruce LeVine. Taking Hintz’s spot in the lineup will be veteran forward Radek Faksa, who has scored one goal in four games so far in this year’s playoffs.
Currently dealing with an upper-body injury, Hintz only managed to skate in 6:35 during the Stars’ Game 4 victory on Monday night, leaving the ice early into the second period. In his shift before leaving the game, Hintz was cross-checked on the right side by forward Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. Seemingly laboring through the rest of the shift, Hintz would end up blocking a shot and then was once again cross-checked by Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker.
Although losing out on Hintz for Game 5 is a significant blow to their lineup, the team will not be without defenseman Chris Tanev or forward Craig Smith, as both were cleared to play this evening per LeVine (X Link). Similarly to Hintz, both Tanev and Smith sustained injuries in Game 4, with Tanev also joining Hintz in the locker room before the conclusion of the contest.
Other second-round notes:
- On the flip side of the series, the Avalanche are expected to see defenseman Devon Toews return to the lineup tonight, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Toews will return to the active roster after missing Game 4 due to an illness, and will now help Colorado stave off elimination for the first time this postseason. In eight playoff games so far this spring, Toews has once again been heavily utilized by the Avalanche, scoring one goal and five assists while averaging 23:46 of ice time per game.
- Lastly, the Stars organization has recalled a trio from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, after they were eliminated from the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs this past Sunday. Forward Mavrik Bourque, as well as defensemen Alex Petrovic and Lian Bichsel, will be joining Dallas as depth options for the time being. If the team sustains any more injuries in the coming days, Bourque is the most likely to enter the lineup as the 22-year-old is the recent recipient of the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer.