DALLAS — Roope Hintz fought for the first time in his NHL career Tuesday night, dropping the gloves with Nathan MacKinnon in the second period of the Dallas Stars’ 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center.
The two centers had battled each other through the first 25 minutes before the fight. MacKinnon went to the Colorado locker room for facial repairs afterward and was off the bench for more than seven minutes of the second period, The Associated Press reported.
Hintz scored 3:17 into the third period, one-timing a pass from Tyler Seguin from below the goal line inside the near post to cut Colorado’s lead to 3-2. It was his second goal of the season. Through six games, Hintz has 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points.
Hintz was not available to reporters after the game. Seguin was a little surprised to see him fight at all.
“I mean, he’s a competitive guy,” Seguin said. “I think his talent and technique in the fight maybe was the surprise, but good on him.”
It was MacKinnon’s second fight in Colorado’s first six games. MacKinnon also had 2 assists Tuesday, giving him 12 points this season.
Roope Hintz’s History With Nathan MacKinnon Dates To March 6
On March 6, Hintz and MacKinnon got tangled up during a 5-4 shootout loss to Colorado at American Airlines Center. Hintz tore his hamstring on the play and did not return that night. The game had been his first since the Olympic break, and the loss ended Dallas’ franchise-record 10-game winning streak.
Hintz missed the rest of the regular season and the Stars’ six-game first-round loss to the Minnesota Wild. He finished 2025-26 with 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points in 53 games.
Before this season opened, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan put the Minnesota series down to a handful of chances and tied it directly to Hintz’s absence.
“We didn’t have Roope Hintz in that series, and the margins were small. They were very small,” Gulutzan said. “If you look at that series, one chance here or there could have tipped the scales, and that’s what we were trying to target.”
MacKinnon said Tuesday’s fight grew out of what the two had just done to each other on the ice.
“Two guys playing hard. (A) couple slashes and we fought,” MacKinnon said. “It was kind of an innocent play last year. I don’t know. You’d have to ask him, I guess.”
MacKinnon had bandages across his nose after the game, and a scab from a high stick in Winnipeg last week had reopened during the bout, The Denver Gazette reported.
“My visor cut me, but he definitely got me with a couple though too,” MacKinnon explained. “Big guy and he definitely got me with a couple good punches too.”
Seguin Likes Hintz’s Edge, But Doesn’t Want Fighting To Become A Habit
Early in the third period of the Oct. 2 opener, a 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues, a hit from Blues defenseman Brandon Carlo left Hintz on the ice holding his knee.
Carlo was given a major penalty and a game misconduct. Hintz needed help down the tunnel but returned minutes later and said after the game that he felt “fine” and “lucky.” Gulutzan said that night that he was “quite concerned.”
The Avalanche also had a fight in the first period Tuesday. Fedor Svechkov fought Radek Faksa after Faksa’s hit on Jaden Schwartz and drew a two-minute instigator minor, a five-minute fighting major, and a 10-minute misconduct.
With Svechkov in the box when MacKinnon fought Hintz, Colorado played more than five minutes of the second period with nine forwards.
Seguin did not want the fighting to become a habit for Hintz, though he liked what it said about the Stars Tuesday.
“It’s awesome to see us compete,” Seguin explained. “Don’t want him to fight too much, but it’s cool to see tonight.”
Hintz and the Stars face MacKinnon and the Avalanche again Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. CT on TNT.
