Stars’ Roope Hintz says foot was fractured after slash from Oilers’ Darnell Nurse

Two days after the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Dallas Stars in five games in the Western Conference Final, forward Rope Hintz confirmed to reporters that his foot was fractured after the slash from Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse in Game 2 of the series.

The incident occurred early in the third period when Hintz and Nurse were battling out front of the Oilers’ net. After Hintz gave Nurse a crosscheck in the back, the Edmonton blueliner responded with a slash that appeared to hit the Dallas forward near the ankle.

Nurse was originally assessed a five-minute major for slashing, but the penalty was reduced to a minor after a video review.

Following Game 2, Head Coach Pete DeBoer didn’t mince words with how he felt about the situation.

“Does anyone in this room think that if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, that it’s not a five minute major?” DeBoer said. “That’s my answer to your question.”

Hintz would miss Game 3, returning for Games 4 and 5, where he scored a goal in their 6-3 defeat on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Hintz ended the playoffs with six goals and six assists for 12 points in 17 games. In the regular season, the Finnish forward scored 28 goals and added 39 assists for 67 points, fourth on the team in total scoring.

In 468 career regular-season games, Hintz, a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has 175 goals and 202 assists for 377 points. His most productive season came in 2022-23, recording 37 goals and 38 assists for 75 points.

The Stars finished the season with a 50-26-6 record and 106 points, second in the Central Division. They have now been eliminated in three consecutive Western Conference Finals.