The Dallas Stars desperately need all hands on deck in the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers, as things are getting away from them quickly. After coming back to win Game 1 in Dallas, the Oilers handled Dallas in Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead and take home-ice advantage.

During Game 2, the Stars lost a key piece of their team. Standout forward Roope Hintz went down with an injury after being hit with a controversial cross-check by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Hintz left Game 2 and did not play in Game 3, a 6-1 loss back in Edmonton.

After that game, head coach Peter DeBoer said that Hintz was not close to playing, and that he probably would have given it a go if he was feeling close to 100%. On Monday ahead of a crucial Game 4, Hintz gave Stars fans optimism that he could be able to go on Tuesday night, via Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

“Roope Hintz hopes to play tomorrow in Game 4 but isn’t sure yet if he will be able to,” LeBrun wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Probably give it a try in warm up and see how he feels.”

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The Stars need Hintz to be a go if they want to beat an Oilers squad that is playing with a ton of confidence at the moment. After a dominant two-way performance in Game 2 by the defending Western Conference champs, the Stars and Oilers played a fairly balanced five-on-five game in Game 3. However, a poor game from Jake Oettinger and a great night from Stuart Skinner resulted in a 6-1 Oilers rout.

Skinner has gotten hot and is playing the best hockey of his career over the last few weeks, with three shutouts and that very strong Game 3 performance. The Oilers are now playing with a ton of confidence in front of their home crowd and have a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

If Hintz is back in the lineup, the Stars still have more than enough juice to make this a tight series and grind out a Game 4 win on the road. However, the standout center's status will be one of the top storylines to watch heading into Tuesday night.