Dallas Stars
Roope Hintz will not play for the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Friday (10 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN1, SN, TVAS).
It will be the second straight game the center has missed because of an upper-body injury sustained blocking a shot during the first period of the Stars' 5-1 win in Game 4, but Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said the hope is Hintz would be available to play in Game 7 on Sunday if needed, or the start of the Western Conference Final next week.
Hintz has six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, including five points (one goal, four assists) in four games against the Avalanche. He led the Stars in goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) in 19 games during the playoffs last season.
DeBoer said defenseman Jani Hakanpää is closer to returning from a lower-body injury. Hakanpaa, who hasn’t played since March 16, is skating and traveled to Denver with the Stars.
"It's important, but you're playing the guys that are available," DeBoer said. "It's everywhere this time of year. You get down to the last eight [teams], the last four, very rarely do you have everyone available to you, and you can't spend a lot of energy worrying about that. It's the guys that are available and in." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Vancouver Canucks
Thatcher Demko continues to improve in his recovery from an undisclosed injury but the Canucks' No. 1 goalie isn't expected to be available for Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).
Coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday that Demko, who hasn't played since getting injured late in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Nashville Predators on Apr. 21, had "improved immensely," but wasn't optimistic Demko could play this weekend.
"That would be a stretch," Tocchet said. "I'm not trying to hide anything, but he has been taking shots and doing a lot of good things."
Demko resumed skating two weeks ago and was on the ice this week working on crease movement patterns with goaltending coach Ian Clark.
"All I know is he's improved immensely the last 72 hours," Tocchet said on Wednesday. "He's really, the last 2-3 days, made some strides. Big strides."
Demko is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the top goalie in the NHL, after going 35-14-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and five shutouts in 51 games despite missing five weeks late in the season because of a left knee injury.
He played the final two games of the regular season before getting injured during the playoff opener, but Tocchet said at the time it was not related to the previous knee injury
Casey DeSmith played Games 3 and 4 against Nashville before missing Game 5 with a minor lower-body injury. Third-string goalie Arturs Silovs took over and has played all eight games since, going 5-3 with a 2.62 GAA and .907 save percentage in eight postseason starts, including 21 saves in a 3-2 Canucks win in Game 5 on Thursday. -- Kevin Woodley
