The Dallas Stars suffered yet another disappointing playoff exit in the Western Conference Finals, losing to the Edmonton Oilers for the second year in a row. They had to play Game 3 of the series without star centre  Roope Hintz as well after he suffered an injury in Game 2 after Darnell Nurse blatantly slashed him.

Speaking to the media Saturday, Hintz revealed that he sustained a fractured foot on the play.

Via Robert Tiffin:

“Roope Hintz confirms that his foot was fractured after the slash by Darnell Nurse.”

Brutal for the Finnish superstar, who is such a key piece of this Stars team. He was a regular on the first line, and Dallas certainly missed his presence in Game 3. Hintz left Game 2 early due to the ailment and never returned. He had to be helped off the ice.

Nurse, surprisingly, only got a two-minute minor for the slash and never received a suspension, either. The entire fiasco deeply upset head coach Pete DeBoer, who made it clear there would've been punishment if Connor McDavid was on the receiving end:

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“I'll answer your question with a question, does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, it's not a five-minute major,” DeBoer asked. “That's my answer to your question.”

“Again, if that's 97 [McDavid] carried off the ice, in the same situation, I think we all know the answer to what that looks like for us,” DeBoer continued.

Hintz scored six goals and tallied six assists in the playoffs. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston both spent time on the top line when their teammate went on the shelf, while Oskar Back took Hintz's spot on the roster. Hintz scored in Game 5.

The veteran skated pre-game after the injury and was listed as a game-time decision, and battled through the injury for the final two games of the conference finals.