Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan confirmed following Wednesday’s practice that top-line center Roope Hintz will miss at least the first two games of the opening round due to a lower-body injury.
It comes just a few days after the team ruled Hintz out for the remainder of the regular season due to a lower-body injury. Hintz has been out of action since suffering the injury on March 6, when he got hurt after getting tangled up with Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan ruled Roope Hintz out for the first two games of the playoffs today.
— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) April 14, 2026
“Certainly, Roope won’t be in in Game 1 or 2. We don’t know when he could come back, or if he could come back. We’ll see.”
In 53 games, Hintz has scored 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points, still good for sixth on the team in scoring. In the 19 games he has missed thus far, the Stars have posted a record of 11-6-2, having won four straight games leading up to the team’s season finale against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
While the Hintz news was expected, the status of the blue line is equally concerning. Miro Heiskanen is currently questionable for the start of the postseason. Heiskanen missed the final three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury sustained from a Ryan Hartman check.
Dallas has already locked in its first-round matchup, getting set to take on the third-seeded Minnesota Wild, who sit just eight points back of the Stars.