Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev missed part of the first period tonight after he took a high hit from Nathan MacKinnon.

The play came on Tanev’s first shift of the game with the puck in the Stars zone. MacKinnon inadvertently ran into him as the Stars started to break the puck out. Tanev was stung by the collision as he quickly went down the tunnel upon returning to the Stars’ bench.
Chris Tanev took a big hit from Ross Colton near end of Game 4 and stayed off the ice last 2 days.
Now he leaves the ice after his first shift tonight following this play… went to dressing room

Making matters worse is the fact that Tanev missed the final 11 minutes of game four after he took a big hit from Ross Colton. Luckily, the Stars had a big lead in the game at that point, so they did not need to rely on Tanev to close the game out.
Chris Tanev didn’t play another shift after this hit by Ross Colton, although it may have been precautionary, given the large lead.

Luckily, Tanev appeared to be no worse for wear as he returned to the bench with a little over 13 minutes left in the period. He would resume his regular role, taking several shifts throughout the rest of the period.
He’s BACK!!! #ChrisTanev #DallasStars #TexasHockey #GoStars #StanleyCupPlayoffs #DALvsCOL

The veteran defenseman certainly is not 100%, but the Stars are still relying on him as the team has been running five defenseman with Nils Lundqvist getting just a couple of minutes of ice time per game. Be sure to tune in tonight to see if the Avalanche season comes to an end.