Roope Hintz injury: What caused the Stars' center to leave the ice in Game 4 against the Colorado 

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz was forced to leave the ice during Game 4 of their playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. The injury appeared to be caused by a sequence of events early in the second period.

Hintz was initially cross-checked on his right side by Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon. Despite the pain, Roope Hintz briefly remained on the ice and managed to block a shot, but was cross-checked again, this time in the back by Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker.

Hintz was listed as "questionable to return" by the team and he did not return for the final period of the game. Despite Hintz's absence, the Stars secured a 5-1 victory at the Ball Arena, putting them ahead in the series with a 3-1 lead.

Head coach Peter DeBoer said Roope Hintz, along with teammates Chris Tanev and Craig Smith, were being evaluated and that more information about their status would be available on Tuesday.

“You get this deep in the playoffs, and you’ve got all kinds of stuff going on,” DeBoer said post-game. “We’ll have some injury reports tomorrow, but I don’t have anything right now for you.”

Roope Hintz has been a vital contributor for the Stars during the playoffs, appearing in 10 games and scoring one goal and six points. During the regular season, he scored 30 goals and assisted 35 times for a total of 65 points across 80 games.

Roope Hintz sidelined as Stars secure decisive 5-1 victory over Avalanche

The Stars' offensive onslaught was led by Wyatt Johnston, who scored two goals, while Miro Heiskanen, Evgenii Dadonov, and Sam Steel each contributed a goal. Goaltender Jake Oettinger had a solid performance, making 24 saves to secure the win.

For the Avalanche, Casey Mittelstadt scored their lone goal. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves in the loss.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer acknowledged the significance of the win but cautioned:

"It's good, but we also know the final one is always the toughest to win, and we also know the opponent. There's no doubt with what went on behind the scenes with them tonight, they were a little bit off and a little bit rattled," DeBoer said after the game.

"I'm sure they'll regroup and I'm sure they're not going to go down quietly. We're going to anticipate that the next game is going to be the toughest to win."

With the series shifting back to Dallas for Game 5 on Wednesday, the Stars have the opportunity to close out the series on home ice.