Hintz showing Stars he's 'built for the playoffs'

DALLAS --Great speed, great skill, good size: Roope Hintz has it all, the Dallas Stars forward possessing a combination that wins games on the ice.

Or, perhaps, even on video.
"I'm sure most hockey fans have played some form of NHL EA Sports, whatever it is, and he's kind of the guy you probably try and create," Stars forward Max Domi said.
Hintz leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the Western Conference First Round against the Minnesota Wild. He had three assists, his third multipoint game of the playoffs, when the Stars defeated the Wild 4-0 in Game 5 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 6 is at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; TBS, SN360, TVAS2, BSN, BSWI, BSSW).
"He's got everything," Domi said. "He's got speed, he's got size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), he's got a great hockey IQ, very competitive and unbelievable shot, too. He's pretty much the perfect hockey player and unbelievable guy, too, so really happy to have him on our side and not have to play against him, especially in a series like this. He's a difference-maker and absolute game breaker."
RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Wild series coverage]
The 26-year-old has the most points in a playoff series for the Stars since they relocated to Dallas for the 1993-94 season, passing forward Mike Modano and defenseman Sergei Zubov, who each had 10 points against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, and current captain Jamie Benn's 10 points against the Wild in the 2016 first round. Hintz has a chance of reaching the Stars/Minnesota North Stars record of 13 points set by Dennis Maruk with the North Stars against the St. Louis Blues in the 1986 Norris Division Semifinals.
Hintz isn't one to talk much about himself, and when asked about his postseason numbers he deflected credit to others.
"One reason for that, of course, I have good teammates and they're playing all well too," Hintz said. "Can't do those things alone, so yeah, good game for us today. We got a big win."
Sure, but that's underselling how valuable Hintz has been in the series and the assets he possesses.
"Assets? Blessings," Stars forward Tyler Seguin said with a smile. "I mean, it's special. It's on those levels of just the special skaters. You pick 8-10 in this League that are just ahead of everyone else, and Roope's one of those guys."
During the regular season, Hintz again was part of a successful top line, at center with left wing Jason Robertson and right wing Joe Pavelski. He had 75 points (37 goals, 38 assists) in 73 games, fourth on the Stars behind Robertson (109), Benn (78) and Pavelski (77). He's continued to be strong on that top line, with Seguin replacing an injured Pavelski at right wing.
"He's moving his feet, he's making it easy for him to get him the puck," Robertson said. "We all know who wants the puck on his stick up the ice with speed. If we can do that, let him play to his strengths, it opens up ice for me, [Seguin, Pavelski], whoever, and lets us create opportunities. And we get a lot of puck touches and try to capitalize on our chances."

Hintz leads Stars forwards in the postseason with 19:45 of ice time per game, including 4:13 per game on the power play and 59 seconds per game on the penalty kill.
"With the big guy he is, he's flying out there, but I would also add the defensive side for him," Lindell said. "He's good on defense, plays on PK too. He's an all-around good player.
"It's nice to see, finally, the League and overall people finally notice that he is good. He's been playing on such a high level the last couple of years. It's fun to play with him."
Is Hintz finally getting the overall recognition around the NHL, or does he still fall under the radar?
"He reminds me a little bit of (Florida Panthers captain Aleksander) Barkov," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "No one really talks about him, but he's an elite player in this League and he's got the whole package: power, speed, finesse, coachable team guy, defensively good. Just an all-around player.
"I think he's a version of (Los Angeles Kings center Anze) Kopitar, when Kopitar was that age. That's the kind of guy he reminds me of, and you can win with guys like that, so I'm a big fan."
Quiet and reserved, Hintz has made quite the statement on the ice and the Stars are one step closer to the second round because of his work.
"He's built for the playoffs," DeBoer said. "He's a big, powerful man who won't get intimidated, won't get pushed out of any game. He's gone to another level here at the most important time of the year and I'm not surprised. I think he's built for this."