Stars lose ‘ultimate warrior’ Tanev to injury in Game 4 loss | NHL.com

EDMONTON — The 5-2 final score in favor of the hometown Edmonton Oilers on the splashy overhead video board at Rogers Place on Wednesday was painful enough for the visiting Dallas Stars.

But watching rugged defenseman Chris Tanev hobble into the dressing room after blocking an Evander Kane shot with his right foot midway through the second period and not return to the game? Talk about rubbing salt into the wound.

“Fingers crossed we’ll get him back for Game 5,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said afterward when asked for an update.

They’d better hope they do.

Sure, DeBoer was on the mark when he said the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a time of “next man up” when injuries occur, which is the philosophy his team is adopting if Tanev can’t suit up.

Trouble is, Tanev is the type of unique player that is hard to replace. As such, it’s the type of dilemma the Stars will have to meet head on after coughing up a 2-0 first period lead en route to seeing the Oilers tie the best-of-7 Western Conference Final 2-2 in Game 4.

The series now shifts to Dallas for Game 5 at American Airlines Center on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS). And certainly, the narrative approaching puck drop will revolve around Tanev. Specifically, will he play? And if he does, how much can his bruised and battered body endure?

Usually, it can put up with a lot, which is why watching him limp toward the trainer’s room midway through the game was so concerning to his teammates.

“He’s one of the ultimate warriors in this league,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “It’s unbelievable to have him on our side now. I’ve played against him for a long time here. He’s a true professional. He plays the game hard.

“This gives guys more opportunity to step up and fill that void.”

But how exactly can and will they do that, should Tanev not be able to go?

This is all you need to know about Chris Tanev. Because of the injury that forced him out early, he was last in ice time among the Stars’ 18 skaters at 8:37, yet he still led Dallas in blocked shots with three.