Hintz and defenseman Miro Heiskanen had been previously ruled out for the rest of the regular season with lower body injuries, but Gulutzan said after practice in Buffalo that Hintz is not expected to return this week.
“Certainly, Roope won’t be in in Game 1 or 2,” he said. “We don’t know when he could come back or if he could come back. We’ll see.”
Gulutzan said the team is still uncertain about Heiskanen’s status for Game 1.
“Miro, we’re not sure yet,” he said. “I haven’t gotten an update today. We’ll probably know more in the next two days.”
Hintz was injured during Dallas’ March 6 game against the Colorado Avalanche after a collision with Nathan MacKinnon. It was his first game back from the Olympic break after dealing with an illness for over a week before.
Heiskanen made an early exit from the Stars’ first-round playoff preview matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. He exited the game after taking a hit into the boards from Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman toward the end of the first period.
His right leg appeared to bend awkwardly after the hit. He was able to skate off the ice under his own power but left the Stars’ bench with a trainer and headed down into the tunnel. He never returned.