The Dallas Stars were shorthanded in a big way Sunday afternoon when they visited the Edmonton Oilers for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.

Despite taking warmups, Roope Hintz was held out of the Stars’ lineup for the game. Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm, meanwhile, also remained out

Hintz was hurt in the third period of Game 2 in Dallas Friday night, having to get helped off the ice. After cross-checking Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse in the back, Hintz received a retaliatory slash, which sent the Stars centre to the ice.

The Stars were upset about the slash, with head coach Pete DeBoer saying, “If that’s 97 carried off the ice in the same situation, I think we all know the answer to what that looks like for us.”

Stars forward Mason Marchment was none too pleased, either.

“He’s one of our best players, and now he’s done for the game, right?” he said. “I don’t really want to tell them what they should do or what they should have called, but that’s one of our best players, and I don’t think it was enough… A lot of that stuff, you just keep in the back of your mind, and if the opportunity presents itself, then you take your chance. We’ve got a long series here.”

There was no supplemental discipline, though the complaints from the Stars and their fan base were loud.

Dallas missed Hintz in the first period of Game 3, the time of writing, as the Oilers took a 2-0 lead with Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid scoring back-to-back goals 36 seconds apart.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.